


Ain't A Rule That Ain't Worth Breaking

by nerdy_farm_girl



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Everybody is human, F/M, Human AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 03:45:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 54,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2567036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdy_farm_girl/pseuds/nerdy_farm_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in a small New England town, Lydia Martin is the daughter of Charlie Martin, the owner of the local lumberyard, where at least one member of most town families is employed. Charlie worked hard to build up his company (CM Lumber Co.), and Lydia grew up without a want. Unfortunately (for Lydia anyways), her father wants her to learn the value of earning your keep, so the summer between her sophomore and junior years of college he is forcing her to work at the yard hardware store.</p>
<p>Derek Hale is the only son of one of the local dairy farmers. His father had plans for him to take over the farm, but Derek sees himself going in another direction. He’d gained a brooding, bad boy reputation in high school, but Charlie Martin had found that Derek was his best and most promising young employee. Rumor is that Charlie is training Derek to take over the yard, and the only thing standing in his way is the beautiful, (and in Derek’s opinion irritating) Lydia Martin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

“But Dad!” Lydia fought the urge to stomp her foot. She was trying her best to act like an adult now that she was in college and all.

“But what Lydia? Having a summer job isn’t going to hurt you!” Her dad, Charlie Martin, leaned across the table towards her, his blue eyes serious. “You need to learn the value of hard work.”

“Are you saying I don’t work hard!? What do you think, my 4.0 GPA just materialized out of thin air?” She felt her voice growing shriller as she stood and paced around the table.

“No.” Charlie rubbed a hand across his face. “That is not what I meant.” He looked towards Lydia’s mom. “A little help here Natalie?”

"Lydia sit down," Natalie sighed. Reluctantly Lydia did as her mother asked. Regardless of how spoiled people thought she was, and how big of a bitch she could come off as, she would always respect her parents. "What were you planning on doing with yourself this summer." Lydia huffed and crossed her arms.

"I was going to take a few courses, get ahead..." She grumbled, knowing that it would fall flat. She had kind of wanted to enjoy three months of doing nothing. She glanced up at her dad, who looked like he might be convinced, but her mother snorted.

"Please," Natalie chuckled. "That's code for lounging around all summer. And I know for a fact that all of your friends from home have jobs this summer too." Lydia sighed. Her mom was right, as usual. Allison tended bar at the local dive, and Isaac had a job at the local coffee shop, Jitters. Scott was still working at the vet's office, Stiles worked at the corner store, and Kira and Malia were a waitress and a cook respectively at the diner.

"But what if I want to go to the beach?" Lydia whined, causing both her parents to roll their eyes.

"You won't be working every single hour of every single day." Her dad explained. "You'll be starting Monday. End of discussion." He pushed back from the table, gathering both his and Natalie's plates.

"But," Lydia tried to argue, but her dad cut her off with a steely glare.

"No buts. It's decided." He snapped, whisking out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Lydia looked at her mom, who was smirking at her.

"Well I guess I have a job," she grumbled, hanging her head. Her mom grinned.

"I guess you do."

\--------

It was nine o'clock on Monday morning, and Derek Hale had been sitting behind his desk  in the CM Lumber Co warehouse for two hours. He'd caught up on invoicing from over the weekend, with a stack of bills ready to go up to the main office for Charlie's approval. The guys had all received their first jobs for the day, the truck drivers already on their second deliveries of the morning, the boys in the yard were busy getting upcoming orders together. The day was off to a good start.

He stretched in his chair, attention caught by a shiny white BMW parking in front of the store. BMWs were unusual in this podunk town, and even more unusual to be seen at a lumberyard. A petite girl climbed out from behind the wheel, her long red hair loose down her back, clad in a short little dress and drastically high heels.

"Who is that?" Jordan Parrish, Derek's right hand man and best friend from childhood had just opened the door between Derek's office and the parking lot, and was leaning against the frame, staring longingly after the redhead.

"Charlie's daughter," Derek growled while rolling his eyes. "Don't even think about it."

"Dude," Jordan stepped fully into the office, the door banging closed behind him. "That's his daughter? I thought she was like twelve still." He flopped into one of the chairs in front of Derek's desk, propping his feet up and blocking Derek's glare.

"I have no idea how old she is," he grumbled, pushing at Jordan's boots. "Get your damn feet off my desk. I just know Charlie is gonna have her working in the shop." He narrowed his eyes, pointing a finger at Jordan. "And let me remind you that dating the boss's daughter is the quickest way to get your dumb ass fired. So keep it in your pants."

"Like you didn't think about it when you saw her," Jordan scoffed, grinning down at Derek as he stood.

"You're right, I didn't." He said stoically. He'd mastered the art of lying at an early age. But Jordan knew his tells, and his friend leaned over his desk, grin turning into an evil smirk.

"I call bull shit," he whispered, before turning and striding out of the office, plopping a hard hat on his head. Derek frowned after him, a feeling of discontent settling over his office. He'd never actually met Charlie's daughter. She had been four or five years behind him in high school, and she didn't exactly spend a lot of time at the lumberyard. He'd only known what she looked like from his many visits to Charlie's house. Pictures of her covered the walls, and he'd seen the evidence of her growing from an adorable little kid to a full grown woman. She was attractive. He would never deny that.

But he already didn't like her. She was spoiled. She'd shown up to work in high heels and a dress. She drove a BMW. She'd probably never done an hour of hard work in her life. Derek had been working since he could walk. His dad was a third generation dairy farmer, one of the few left in Windsor County. Growing up on a dairy farm wasn't exactly a walk in the park. The herd of 200 cows had to be milked twice a day, the calves had to be fed, the feed had to be mixed, hay had to be cut and baled and stacked, corn had to be planted and grown and chopped. In the winter there was snow to plow, in the spring there was wood to split for the next winter, and there were always cows giving birth, and sick cows, and sick calves and what seemed like endless manure to clean. To top it all off, dairy farmers didn't exactly rake in the money. Derek's mom worked part time as a substitute teacher, giving her the flexibility to help his dad out whenever she could. Derek and his sisters, Laura and Cora, became farm hands as soon as they could walk, following their parents around their 200 acres of pasture and woods.

Derek wouldn't trade his upbringing for the world. However, things had changed when he reached high school. He'd started for the football and baseball teams, he drove a dirt bike to school everyday, and he liked to skulk around wearing a black leather jacket. Falling in with the outside crowd he'd earned the reputation of being a bad ass, doing anything for the adrenaline rush.

Somewhere along the line he'd crushed his dad's dream of him taking over the farm, and completely destroyed his mom's hope of him going to college. Not that he was dumb, or bad at school. As a seventeen year old self proclaimed rebel, his image had become more important than his future. If Charlie Martin hadn't taken a risk on him four years ago, he'd probably still be drifting from job to job and closing down the local bar every night. He owed Charlie everything.

 

"Yo Hale!" Someone yelled his name out in the warehouse, drawing Derek from his thoughts. Sighing he pushed himself to his feet, glaring at the stack of invoices. They would have to wait. No way was he going in the office while Charlie was showing his daughter around. He didn't need that in his life. Because she was probably a brat. It had nothing to do with how hot she was. Nope. Definitely not.

 

 


	2. Rule #1: Country & Classic Rock Only

Lydia hummed along with the Katy Perry, swinging her hips slightly as she restocked a shelf with boxes of… She looked down at the box, reading the label: Drywall Screws. Good to know. Her father hadn’t been all that happy with her showing up wearing a dress and heels, but he calmed down when she tied a CM Lumber Co apron on. Stupid apron. It did absolutely nothing for her figure. Not that there was anyone at the lumberyard who she really needed looking at her. But there was always the off chance that a cute boy would come in to buy something.

The bell over the door jingled and Lydia glanced over her shoulder. _I take that back. Cute guy alert._ There was actually two cute guys. They were both wearing light blue CM Lumber Co t-shirts and tan Carhartt pants, tipping Lydia off to the fact that they worked for her dad. The first one was taller, with dark hair and dramatic eyebrows and pretty eyes that looked like they might be blue. He was carrying a stack of papers and scowling as he stomped towards the offices in back. The second one was much more Lydia’s type. He had sandy blonde hair and a cheerful face, looking like he belonged in a Calvin Klein underwear ad with Marky Mark instead of at a lumberyard. He was glancing around the store, a huge grin gracing his face when he spotted Lydia. He winked at her, and then ran into the other guys back, who had halted in front of the radio.

Dark and Scary (guy number one’s new nickname), was glaring at the antique radio as he reached up and tuned it back to the local oldies station. Lydia had noticed the two red lines painted on the dial, marking the country and oldies stations, but she had put it on top 40. Not that she didn't like country or oldies, because she did. She just was feeling a little pop-princessy today. She rolled her eyes at Dark and Scary’s back, not expecting him to turn around and glare at her. Her first reaction was to flush bright red. She wasn't used to hostility from men, they usually loved her. She recovered quickly though, hardening her own gaze until he turned away and continued towards the back.

Huffing she returned to her task, trying her best not to sing along with the Eagles. There was no way she was going to enjoy this now.

“Hey!” She jumped at the sound of a man’s voice behind her, scaring her out of her irritated fit. It was Cute and Smiley aka Hottie Number Two.

“Hi,” she bit her lip, letting her eyes flicker slowly up from his boots to his eyes. Definitely a certified hottie.

“My name’s Jordan,” He held his hand out towards her and Lydia took it, a light bulb going off in her head.

“Jordan Parrish,” she repeated with a smile. “You were captain and starting pitcher for the baseball team right?” She had had a massive crush on him when she was in seventh grade. MASSIVE. “I’m Lydia,” she continued as he grinned. “Lydia Martin.”

“It’s nice to meet you Lydia,” He chuckled slightly. “Sorry about my friend over-”

“Parrish!” Dark and Scary poked his head out of the back hallway. “The Blueberry Lane load isn’t going to deliver itself!”

“Aye aye captain!” Jordan saluted, shooting Lydia a wink before turning on his heel and heading back outside. She turned quickly back to her work, trying to ignore the feeling that someone was watching her. Someone meaning Dark and Scary. She’s managed to finish restocking the dry wall screws before her dad called for her.

“Lyd! Come on back here, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Charlie yelled, his loud voice echoing through the nearly empty store. Groaning internally, she made her way to the back, heels clicking loudly on the tile floor. She hadn't noticed Dark and Scary leaving, but she was praying to God that he’d went out the back or climbed out a window or something. She was not interested in making his acquaintance

Her stomach only dropped when she walked past Cheryl’s desk/customer service desk (the book keeper/secretary/cashier) and she licked her finger and pressed it to her arm with a sizzling noise.

“What is that for?” Lydia hissed, leaning over the older woman’s desk. She had known Cheryl for as long as she could remember. She was in her fifties, with platinum blonde hair, and lots of makeup to go with her ample curves. She’d been Lydia’s babysitter, her dance instructor, and now a very good friend. Even though she could be a pain in the neck sometimes.

“Honey!” Cheryl ‘whispered’, “There’s a beautiful man in there, just thought you should be aware.” Lydia felt her cheeks heat as her eyes widened. There was no way that her dad and Dark and Scary _could not_ have heard that.

“I don’t think he’s my type,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes as Cheryl chuckled.

“Oh hon, he’s _everybody's_ type.”

 

“Lydia!” Her dad called her name again, causing her to send one last glare at the smirking Cheryl and hurry into his office.

“Sorry Dad, I was um…” Dark and Scary was glaring at her from her usual chair in front of her dad’s desk. “Never mind.” Instead of sitting in the leather chair next to Dark and Scary she leaned casually against the door frame, forcing a smile for her dad. “What’s up?”

Charlie gave her his What-Is-The-Matter-With-You look and motioned for the empty chair in front of him.

“Have a seat punkin,” he said, using her childhood nickname against her. With an eye roll she did as he ask, flopping into the chair and crossing her arms. “Lydia, I’d like you to meet Derek Hale.” Charlie continued, motioning towards Dark and Scary. Holding in a sigh she turned to Derek with a fake smile, holding out her hand.

“Nice to meet you, are you related to Cora?” She’s been friendly with Cora Hale in high school (well, kind of). And now that she really looked at him, she realized that he had not only been the starting catcher for the baseball team, but also played on the football team when she was still in middle school.

“Yeah,” he grunted, his large hand closing around hers for barely a second. But in that second, Lydia felt it. Warmth had spread up from her hand along her arm, resulting in what she could only guess was a slight flush on her cheeks. And she could tell by the way his scowl deepened that mister Dark and Scary had felt it too.

“Derek is my yard foreman,” Charlie continued, oblivious as usual to the silent drama unfolding in front of him. Lydia was thanking her lucky stars that neither her mom or Cheryl had been in here to witness that. Because lord knows that any woman in her right mind would've caught on. But not Charlie Martin. “And I wanted to tell the two of you about my long term plans for this company.”

“Dad I-” Lydia sat forward in her seat, trying to stop her father before he even got started. She was attending Northeastern University and majoring in Biology, and had made it clear to her father on several occasions that she was not interested in taking over the family business.

“Lydia, you don’t even know what I am going to say,” her dad said patiently, even though the look on his face told her that she definitely knew.  She slumped back into her seat with a huff, trying her hardest not to roll her eyes. “I’m getting up there in years,” Charlie continued, chuckling and glancing between her and Derek.

“Dad, you’re fifty, not eighty,” Lydia interrupted. Her dad just waved her off, continuing with his story.

“I want to be able to retire soon,” he smirked at Lydia when she made an irritated sound. “And I would like to hand the business off to the two of you within the next five years.”

“But dad, I’m going to school for _biology_ , I’m a scientist!” Lydia cut in. “Do you really want me to be in charge of anything business related?”

“I have to agree with your daughter,” Dark and Scary, Derek, whatever, actually spoke, leaning his arm on Charlie’s desk. “She doesn’t have any experience with the business.” Lydia watched him speak, slightly disgusted with the way her eyes followed his lips as they moved. Should she even be happy he was agreeing with her? He was basically saying that she couldn't do it. But her dad’s chuckling drew her attention from Hot and Scary, no Dark and Scary. Charlie turned the lone picture frame on his desk around to face them.

“See this picture?” He asked. “This is the first delivery I ever made in one of my own trucks. I’d just bought it, and my wife took a picture of me before I could head out.” He paused and glanced at Lydia, who was just watching him. She’s already seen the picture. In fact, she had the very same one framed in her own bedroom, and it even traveled to her dorm with her. Charlie smiled gently at her before picking up the frame and handing it to Derek. “There’s me, standing on the step of the truck. And that little cutie in the window is Lydia. She was my side kick back in the day, huh punkin?” Lydia nodded with a smile. She was her daddy’s little girl. Always had been, always will be. “Me and Nat couldn't afford daycare, so Lyd would ride with me on deliveries all day while her mother was at the hair salon.” He took the picture back from Derek. “I think you’d both be surprised how much she knows about the business. Now Lydia, I know you want to be a scientist and all, and I’m not gonna stop you. But just think of this summer as a trial period. You’re still early in your college career, and I want you to at least give this a try.”

Lydia just watched him for a moment, giving herself time to formulate a proper response. After he’d made that speech, there was no way she could refuse her dad now. Plus, working here for the summer was already decided on, so this added trial run wouldn’t hurt. She glanced at Derek, who was looking increasingly sour. And torturing Dark and Scary might be fun too.

“Ok Dad,” she smiled warmly across the desk. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“That’s my girl!” Charlie grinned, reaching over and pinching Lydia’s cheek lightly. “Alright, the two of you get out of my office and back to work.” He waved his hands at them until they moved, Lydia standing slowly and hesitantly following grumpy pants out of her father’s office.

“Hey sugar,” Cheryl drawled, blowing a kiss at Derek as he walked by. To Lydia’s surprise Derek pretended to catch the kiss in his hand, pressing it to his heart with a smirk. So apparently his grouchiness was reserved simply for her. She huffed, wrinkling her nose when Cheryl waggled her eyebrows at her.

SLAM

She ran into Derek’s back, stumbling back half a step.

“Rule number one,” he growled, glaring down at her. “We only play country and rock and roll in the store. It’s what our customers like.” He raised his eyebrows when she opened her mouth to argue. “No crap music.” She huffed, stepping around him and returning to the shelves she was stocking. If Dark and Scary was going to start making rules, then she was going to start breaking them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Just a warning, this story is mostly just going to be about Derek and Lydia falling for each other, with not a whole lot of other plot going on... Basically a Dydia Romantic Comedy lol. But I'm really excited about it and hopefully it won't be too boring without all the supernatural elements! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	3. Rule #2: No Flirting With Customers

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Derek grumbled under his breath as he downshifted the boom truck and turned into the lumberyard. It was rare that he went out on deliveries anymore, but the load of cedar boards he had just dropped off couldn't be trusted with the rookie operators, and Parrish had left early on another delivery. But judging by the way the dumbass was sitting at a picnic table, in the sun, eating lunch with the brat, he’d made it back just fine.

Derek glowered at his best friend through the windshield, trying to ignore the way that Charlie’s daughter’s hair shone in the sun, and how when she smiled everything around her seemed to brighten a shade. No, he did not notice any of that.

He parked the truck in line with the remaining fleet, hopping out and stomping towards the warehouse.

“Yo Der!” Jordan’s voice rang across the parking lot, making Derek flinch. “Come eat lunch with us.” Derek just shook his head and continued towards his office. There was no way in hell that he would willfully spend his lunch hour with Lydia Martin. He’d much rather sit at his desk by himself. Maybe he’d actually get some work done, since everybody else seemed too busy flirting to do anything else.

 

“I would tell you that you’re an idiot, but then you already know.” Jordan burst into his office, interrupting Derek’s angry peanut butter and jelly sandwich eating. He glared at his friend, taking another aggressive bite. He wasn’t exactly sure why he was so annoyed. But it definitely had something to do with the red-head.

“Just to humor you, _why_ exactly am I an idiot?” he sighed, watching as Jordan grinned and settled into a chair.

“Because Lydia Martin is the perfect girl for you dude!”

Deek raised his eyebrows.

“Are you drunk? What in God’s name gave you that idea?” he huffed, crossing his arms defensively.

“One, she’s gorgeous,” Jordan started counting on his fingers. “Two, she’s wicked smart. Three, she’s sassy enough to deal with your grouchiness, four, she’s hot, and five, she’s Charlie’s daughter.”

“I’m pretty sure numbers one and four mean the same thing,” Derek grumbled, popping his empty sandwich bag in one hand. “And you’re wrong about all of those things.” Jordan was looking at him in a way that some might describe as pitying, and it was pissing him off. “Don’t look at me like that man.”

“Such a dip shit,” Jordan chuckled, leaning back and propping his feet up on the desk.

“Feet. Off.” Derek growled. “If she’s so great why don't you date her.” Jordan begrudgingly slammed his boots to the floor.

“I’m thinking about it,” he smirked when Derek’s glare hardened. “But unlike you, Charlie might kick my ass.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass if you don’t get back to work,” he growled, rolling his eyes when Jordan jumped to his feet and saluted him. “Just get out of here asshole.” He grumbled, shooing his ever smirking friend out of his office.

 

It had been two weeks since Lydia started, and Derek had been wildly successful at avoiding her. He got to work two hours before she did, and left half an hour after her so that they’d never cross paths at Charlie’s office. When he had problems he’d call Cheryl instead of walking up there, and when he did go into the store, he gave Lydia a wide berth. There was just something about her that threw him off. But he realized that going out of his way to stay away from her just made it look like she was winning. Pretending as though she didn’t exist right to her face would be so much more effective. Grabbing a rush order he needed Charlie to approve the pricing on, he stormed out of his office and up to the store.

He was three steps from the door when shrill pop music started blasting inside. Already glaring he swung the door open, half expecting to see Lydia standing by the radio grinning at him. Instead, she was lounging behind Cheryl’s customer service desk, chewing bubble gum with a bored look on her face. Without looking at her Derek changed the radio back to country, then stalked past her to Charlie’s office.

“He’s not here,” Lydia drawled. Sighing loudly Derek turned and walked over to her, leaning one hip against the desk.

“Where’s-”

The bell over the door jingled, and a kid who Derek thought might be one of his little sister’s friends ambled in.

“Stiles, what are you doing here?” Lydia asked, leaning around Derek to grin at the kid.

“Oh hey Lyds,” the kid said cheerfully, coming to lean on the counter beside Derek. “I didn't think you’d actually be working in the store!”

“What, you thought I’d be hauling lumber or something?” Lydia asked, earning an unintentional huff of irritation from Derek. Like _that_ would ever happen.

“Oh, so this must be Derek,” the kid said with a smirk, holding out his hand. “Stiles Stilinski. Nice to meet ya big guy.” Derek narrowed his eyes as he shook then kid’s hand. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this whole conversation. “Oh wow, you’re right Lyd, he is intimidating.”

“Shut up!” Lydia hissed, her neck and ears turning red. Derek wanted to smirk, but he just continued to glare.

“Where’s Cheryl?” he growled at Lydia, deciding that this Stiles kid was not a legitimate customer that he needed to be polite in front of. Lydia shrugged, the strap of her dress slipping off her delicate shoulder. Derek swallowed, forcing himself to look away from her. “This is a rush order.” he pushed the paper towards her. “Your dad needs to approve the pricing ASAP so that we can send the delivery out this afternoon.” He glanced at her. “Got it?”

“Got it,” she snapped, grabbing the order from him.

“Don’t screw this up,” he grumbled, turning and walking towards the door. He paused, deciding to torture her just a little bit more. “Rule number two: no flirting with the customers.” Grinning to himself he strode out the door, letting it slam behind him. Now that was fun.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	4. Rule #2 (Revised): Flirt Only When Necessary

“Can I ask what rule number one is?” Stiles asked, eyes still fixed on the door that had just slammed behind Derek.

“Country and Oldies only.” Lydia grumbled, flopping onto Cheryl’s chair. “I hate him.”

“He’s hot,” Stiles supplied. “Really fucking hot.”

“Then maybe you should date him,” Lydia snapped, not sure why she was even getting annoyed with Stiles right now. He was one of her best friends after all. “And I thought you knew who he was already?” Stiles smiled at her with that look - like her could see right through her.

“Well I knew who he was… and I’d seen him from a distance when I’d go pick Cora up sometimes but… Up close he’s just like…”

“Hot, I know.” Lydia dropped her head into her arms. “I don’t think Danny would be very pleased to know you’re checking out other guys.” She grumbled.

 

“Hey Mr. Stilinski! How’s it goin’?” the sound of her dad’s voice boomed over the sound of the door.

“Mr. Martin! I’m doing well sir, how are you?” Lydia lifted her head in time to see her dad and Stiles shaking hands. “I just met your right hand man.”

“Oh Derek? He’s a great guy isn't he?” Charlie said with a grin. “Well, I gotta get back to work. I’ll be in my office Lyd.”

“Oh yeah, he’s a peach.” Lydia mumbled under her breath. “So Stiles, what’s the real reason you’re blessing me with your presence?” Her friend grinned at her, his deep brown eyes sparkling.

“Just wanted to meet the hottie you keep blabbering about!”

“Derek is not a hottie!” she hissed. “And I don't blabber about him!”

“Um, I’m pretty sure all you do is talk about how annoying he is…” Stiles teased. “Which I can see where he might be frustrating, and I mean _sexually_ frustrating, but I will totally support you if you want to seduce him. Cause like damn.”

“Ok, it’s time for you to go,” she slid off the stool and walked around the counter, pushing at Stiles’ shoulders until he made it out the door. Sitting back behind the desk she pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Allison (her best friend) describing just how much of a pain in the ass Stiles was. Then she opened up Instagram, getting lost in scrolling through her newsfeed.

An hour later, the bell on the door jingled, and she glanced up, frowning to see Derek again. He swept past her, heading for her dad’s office. Lydia’s eyes widened. _Oh shit_. She’d forgotten about the rush order. Grabbing it off Cheryl’s desk she ran down the hallway after Derek, attempting to duck around him and get to her dad first.

 

They ended up trying to go through the door at the same time, her shoulder squeezing against his elbow until they both burst in.

“What the hell?” Charlie raised his eyebrows, looking amused.

“Dad I just wanted to give you-”

“I was hoping you'd approved the pricing-” Derek paused, turning his glare on Lydia. “You haven’t given him the order yet have you.” He hissed, snatching it from her hand and slamming it on Charlie’s desk.

“I’ve been busy!” Lydia lied, her hands balling into fists.

“I told you that needed to be done ASAP!” Derek growled, squaring his shoulders with her. “Your dad’s been back an hour.”

“Maybe you should’ve left it on his desk then!”

“I could’ve had a truck out a half hour ago! This is an important customer!”

“Well why didn’t you call my dad in the first place!”

“You should’ve been able to handle it instead of flirting with that Stiles kid!”

At this point Charlie burst into loud belly laughter, his fists pounding on his desk. Derek and Lydia both fell silent, watching him warily.

“First of all Derek, I think the last time Lydia flirted with Stiles was somewhere around the time he came out as gay.” He chuckled some more, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Stiles is bi, dad, not gay. There’s a big difference.” Lydia corrected him, shaking her head when Charlie just waved his hand at her.

“Whatever. Secondly, Lydia, you should’ve brought this to me earlier.” Lydia sniffed at this, miffed that her dad hadn’t taken her side. “Thirdly, you two are very entertaining. You remind me off…” He seemed to think better of it. “Now let me see this order. Oh it’s for Harry? Let me give him a call and get this sorted out. Both of you sit.”

Continuing to glare at Derek, Lydia flopped into the chair, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. Derek did the same, glowering right back at her. She tried not to notice how taunt the sleeves of his t-shirt were around his biceps, or how his eyes seemed to change hues depending on what color he was wearing (today it was an olive green). If her father wasn't sitting there, she might've even acted on her suddenly overwhelming urge to have dirty sex with him right now. A flush crept up her neck at the thought and she broke eye contact.

 

Lydia had always been a sexual person. She'd lost her virginity when she was fifteen, and had since had several sexual partners: couple of long term boyfriends, and a bunch of one night stands. She wasn't ashamed. Liking sex wasn't a bad thing. But for some damn reason Derek Hale made her feel like an innocent little teenager again when she thought about doing the dirty with him... Which kind of made her want it more. _What is wrong with me!!! I hate him!_

 

"Hi Harry! Yes, sorry about the delay, we just had a mix up in the office, I'm in the process of training my daughter," Charlie paused, listening. "Ah yes, you probably haven't seen my girl since she was still in diapers." Lydia rolled her eyes. "I'll send my best guy down with the load right now..." Out of the corner of her eye Lydia saw Derek smirk and puff his chest out a bit. Smug much. "Sure, I'll send Lydia along with him." Lydia and Derek groaned simultaneously as Charlie hung up the phone, looking all too pleased with himself.

 

"I'm back Charles!" Cheryl's voice came from the doorway, followed by her chuckle. "And what do we have here? Pulling pigtails on the playground get you sent to the principal's office?" Lydia glared at her over her shoulder as her dad laughed.

"Lydia and Derek are just leaving to go on a delivery," he said cheerful, looking pointedly between the two of them until they stood and shuffled out of the office.

 

Derek walked quickly, and Lydia had to almost jog to keep up with him as he strode across the parking lot. She followed him over to a truck loaded with plywood, two by fours and one by sixes. _Must be for a new house._ Derek hopped up into the cab easily, his six foot frame built for this kind of thing. Lydia on the other hand... She opened the passenger door hesitantly, carefully judging the distance between the ground and the step.

"Let's go," Derek growled as he turned the key, the engine shuddering to life. Taking a deep breath she got a running start, grabbing a hold of the handle on the exhaust cover and pulling herself up and tumbling into the cab. Her ass had barely touched the worn leather of the seat and the truck was taking off, Derek aggressively (albeit smoothly) shifting gears. _I am not turned on. No I am not._

"Soo..." She broke the silence, sitting on her hands to stop from fidgeting. In response Derek turned on the radio, apparently preferring anything over the sound of her voice. Scowling Lydia crossed her arms and stared out the window, watching the familiar countryside fly by. Rolling down the window she hung her arm out the side, letting the wind ruffle her hair. She could feel Derek’s eyes on her, but she didn't dare look over at him. God knows he was probably glaring at her.

 

But Derek wasn't glaring. He was staring. Gawking. Ogling. Why was God torturing him like this? Why were the beautiful ones always the most vexing, the most stubborn, the most independent? But he sure did like ‘em like that. And watching Lydia with her arm out the window and her hair blowing around her face he found himself wanting to study her forever. It had nothing to do with _liking_ her of course. It was simply curiosity.

When he pulled into the job site she hopped easily out of the truck, looking out of place in her sundress with all the dirty men around.

"You must be Miss Lydia!" A booming voice yelled across the the dirt lot, followed by a mountain of a man with a large white beard.

"And you must be Harry," Lydia's voice was deeper than usual, sultry almost. Or maybe it just sounded different when she wasn't arguing with him about something.

"A spitting image of your beautiful mother aren't you my dear," Harry wrapped Lydia in what Derek deemed an overly friendly hug, but she seemed to handle it well. "You can go see my son over there." Harry said to Derek over Lydia's shoulder, waving him off. Rolling his eyes Derek stalked over to Harry's son, conveniently also named Harry.

 

"I thought we agreed on two fifty a foot," Harry Jr asked, his argumentative voice loud and jarring. Derek shook his head.

"No. We sell our two by fours at two seventy a foot. We're giving you guys a deal at two sixty." Derek tried to be calm. He was working on his people skills. Cause let's be honest, people suck.

"I want you to go call your rich fucker of a boss and get him to give me a better fucking price!" Harry junior scoffed, the smirk on his face just begging Derek to punch him square in the mouth. But he steeled his spine and turned on his heel, marching back over to the truck.

"Charlie," he growled into his phone, kicking his toe into the gravel. "Your friend Harry's son is one hell of a dickhead!"

"He learned it from his old man," Charlie chuckled through the phone.

"Who's getting awful touchy with your daughter!" Derek hissed, kicking a rock rather harshly.

"Getting a little protective there son?" Charlie seemed to find everything humorous these days didn't he?

"Never mind that, what the hell am I supposed to do?" Just then soft fingers pried his phone from his hand, sending warmth through his veins.

"I've got it under control Daddy," Lydia said calmly, smirking at Derek as she hung up the phone and handed it back to him. He watched her curiously as she climbed up into the truck, sitting primly on the driver's seat and looking at her reflection in the visor mirror.

"What are you doing?" Derek growled as she applied pink lip gloss and pinched at her cheeks. With a twitch of her lips she tossed her purse back onto the passenger seat and hopped down in front of him.

"Breaking your rules." She deadpanned, brazenly pushing her breasts up in her bra and pulling the neckline of her dress down. Derek gulped. God she was hot, with that little blue dress and the cowboy boots she'd started wearing instead of high heels. "Gimme that." She swiped the invoice from his hands, smirking over her shoulder. "I think you've got a little drool..." She swiped at the corner of her lip as she smiled. Derek glowered at her, taking all he had not to smile back.

He sulked by the back of the truck, watching as Lydia sauntered up to Harry Jr. The asshole was undressing her with his eyes, and finding any reason to touch her. But Lydia handled it well, she made him laugh, and soon she was giving Derek a thumbs up to unload the truck.

 

"Rule number two has been amended," he growled as they drove back to the yard.

"Is that so?" Lydia was smiling at him again, and Derek wasn't proud to admit how much he liked it.

"Yeah," he allowed his lips to lift slightly on one side, surprised to see Lydia blush in response. "Flirt with customers _only_ when necessary."

"Ok, got it." Lydia gave him a thumbs up, before turning back out the window. "Necessary flirting only." Derek scowled out the windshield, annoyed with his reactions to her. A smile from Lydia Martin was all it would take to bring a man to his knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	5. Rule #3: Always Answer Your Phone

“Lydia, you really need to put on more sunscreen.” Allison’s shadow fell over Lydia, causing her to lower the book she was reading and squint up at her best friend.

“Thanks mom,” she drawled, earning a disapproving look. “I’m fine, really.”

“You’re so stubborn,” Allison grumbled, her shadow disappearing as she laid back down on the blanket beside Lydia. “Don’t expect any sympathy from me when you turn into a lobster.” Preferring not to respond Lydia just rolled her eyes and continued reading. Or tried to read.

“Why are you always reading such big books?” Malia’s voice, along with the droplets of cold water dripping from her body, broke Lydia’s concentration.

“Why are you dripping on me?” she asked, squirming when Malia leaned over her and wrung her long brown hair out over Lydia’s stomach.

“I just want to keep you cool!” Malia laughed and sunk into her beach chair next to Lydia. “But seriously, what’s up with the books.” Lydia sighed.

“First off, it’s not that big.” It was just Little Women after all. “And secondly, reading is good for you. It works your imagination and broadens your vocabulary.” Without even looking at her friend, she knew Malia was rolling her eyes. “Did you read To Kill A Mockingbird yet?”

“No…” Malia at least had the decency to sound slightly ashamed.

“Well you should. It is a classic.”

“Alright, enough talk about books, let’s talk about boys!” Allison interrupted, sitting up again on Lydia’s other side.

“What are we, fifteen?” Lydia snapped, attempting to return to her book.

“Come on Lyd,” Allison whined. “Stiles won’t shut up about the hunk that works for your dad.”

Lydia rolled her eyes behind her oversized sunglasses. This was not quite how she imagined her beach day going.

“Stiles doesn’t shut up _ever_.” she grumbled, refusing to put down her book.

“I do have to agree with that,” Malia chuckled as she ripped over a bag of chips. That girl was constantly eating. “But I don’t want to hear about my _cousin_ , let’s talk about Jordan Parrish.” Lydia brightened at the idea. Now Jordan was a hunk to gush about.

“Oh now we’re talking!” she grinned, folding over a page to mark her spot before setting the book down. “Jordan is actually really nice, and funny, and well we all know he’s hot.”

“Yeah, I don't know who you’re talking about.” Allison shifted towards Lydia and Malia, her back to the waves. “I didn’t move here till sophomore year, remember.”

“Jordan Parrish,” Malia sighed his name like a prayer.

“Captain of the baseball team” Lydia offered.

“Hottest guy to graduate from Beacon Hills High…”

“My dream man when I was twelve…”

“Still my dream man…” Malia giggled, fanning her face with her hand. Lydia started to giggle too.

“Maybe I should set you two up!” She suggested, squinting up at her friend. Malia’s face flushed bright red as she shook her head. “Aw come on Li! Why not?”

“No!” Malia insisted, her cheeks almost glowing. “You’d be much better with him.”

“Oh please,” Allison scoffed, her lips curling into what Lydia thought of as an evil smirk. “We all know that Lydia wants to get in Derek’s pants.” Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Lydia gave her best friend a disgusted look.

“A, why would you even come to that conclusion? B, he is an attractive man, and I think that sex with him would be enjoyable based on his appearance only.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder irritably. “His personality is awful and I would not want to spend any extra time with him.” Allison continued to smirk, leaning over to poke her in the side.

“Liar, liar pants on fire!” she sang, ducking out of the way of Lydia’s smack. “You love him! You wanna have his babies! And cuddle with him all night!”

Retching noises came from Malia, who seemed to be disgusted with the way they were talking about her older cousin.

“Shut up Allison!” Lydia hissed, finally landing a smack on her friend’s thigh. “You’ve never even met him!”

“That’s false.” Allison was grinning now, looking all too proud of herself. “He comes to the bar all the time with this other cute guy…”

“Jordan,” Malia and Lydia spoke together, both giggling slightly.

“Ohhhh that’s the _same_ Jordan?” A light bulb had finally gone off in Allison’s head. “Oh he is a hunk.”

“How many Jordans do you think there are in Beacon Hills?” Malia asked, looking genuinely confused as to how Allison had missed this. Lydia’s phone started to ring and she reached for it, frowning at the strange number on the screen. Totally not answering. She hit the ignore button, smiling as she listened to Allison try and explain how she managed to think there were two hot guys names Jordan in town. Her phone started to ring again, this time the words ‘DAD WORK’ flashing on the screen. Rolling her eyes she answered,

“Hi daddy.”

“Hey punkin, I’m here with Derek,” At the mention of his name Lydia felt her left eye start to twitch. “And we need you to come down to the shop.”

“Why?” Lydia grumbled, even though she was already packing her things with her free hand.

“Well we can't figure out this billing system, and Cheryl went down to Hartford to visit her daughter, and I’ve got your mother breathing down my neck because we were supposed to leave for the Cape two hours ago.”

“Ok fine.” she huffed, not wanting to admit even to herself that she kind of wanted to go to the store. “I’m at the beach, so I can be there in like half an hour.”

“This is why you're my favorite daughter,” she could hear the relief in her dad’s voice. “Oh, Derek wants to talk to you.” Cue eye twitch mixed with unwelcome butterflies in her stomach.

“Rule number three,” Derek growled through the phone. For some reason Lydia suddenly felt hot. _The clouds must’ve shifted and the sun is just beating on me and I’m sitting instead of laying...or something._ “Always answer your phone.”

“I did answer the phone.” Lydia grumbled, trying to ignore the way Malia and Allison were now gawking at her. They could so tell she was talking to him.

“Not when I called you.” She could almost feel his scowl through the phone.

“When did you… I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t know.” She snapped, a flush spreading across her cheeks as both her friends grinned. They totally knew she was talking to him.

“Rule number three.” he growled again, as if it needed to be repeated. “And you better save my number now.” She didn’t know why she did it. Maybe it was something about the way he spoke those words… Or maybe she was suffering from heatstroke. Or maybe she wanted to push his buttons.

“What would I use your number for?” Now if she had snapped or grumbled or whined, the question would’ve been harmless. But god dammit she purred. Heat began climbing up her neck as soon as the words left her mouth. Making matters worse she could hear Derek’s sharp intake of breath through the phone, and she knew he noticed her changed tone.

“Will you two stop yakking so that Lydia can get her ass here!” she heard her dad yell in the background, the fact that he sounded far away making her feel only a little bit better. “Okaygottagobyeseeyalaterinafewminutes… bye.” Lydia mumbled into the phone hanging up quickly. _Why? Why? Why?_ “I gotta go,” She grumbled to her friends, pulling on her cover-up in an attempt to distract them.

“That was Derek wasn’t it?” Malia asked, her voice full of merriment.

“I really liked how you seductively asked him what you should do with his phone number,” Allison said with mock seriousness. “I have some ideas for you: sexting, sending nudes, talking to each other until you fall asleep each night.”

“Oh shut up,” Lydia hissed as she stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Malia, you can give Tina Fey over here a ride home right?” Both of her friends were geeking out now, too busy laughing at her to respond. Flipping them off, Lydia turned on her heel and stomped across the sand.

It shouldn’t matter anyways. She always flirted with guys. It was her thing. It was fun. She didn’t discriminate. Her friends were the ones making a big deal out of this. It had nothing to do with her.  She slammed the door of her car behind her, not even bother to put shoes on as she tore out of the parking lot.

Her conversation with Derek played in her head as she drove. She wondered what he would’ve said to her if she hadn’t hung up. Scowling at herself in the rearview mirror she cranked up the radio, determined to push any thoughts of Derek Hale from her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!
> 
> XOXO - B


	6. Rule #4: Don't Interrupt My Beach Days

Derek paced in front of Cheryl’s desk, pushing a hand through his hair. Where the hell was Lydia? It’s been annoying enough that he’d had to actually man the register this morning since Cheryl was out, but now he was stuck here even though the lumberyard closed at noon on Saturdays. He really needed to get home. His dad probably needed his help or something.  
“Honey, we need to get going.” Natalie Martin’s voice drifted out of Charlie’s office, causing Derek to cringe internally. Not that he didn't like Natalie, because he did. But he hated feeling like he was holding her up, and combined with the way she looked at him (like she knew something he didn’t know), he wanted to crawl out of his skin.  
The slam of a car door had him moving towards the window, scowling as Lydia shoved her feet into a pair of flip flops and trudged towards the door. She somehow saw him looking out the window, waving her middle finger at him. _So that’s how this was going to be._ He had previously decided to ignore the way she’d spoke to him on the phone. Mostly because the way his body and imagination had reacted to her had been in a word, embarrassing. But now, seeing her all disgruntled looking made him want to needle her a little bit about it.   
The bell on the door jingled, and Lydia stepped inside her eyes already narrowed on him.  
“Don’t even start!” she hissed, poking his chest with one perfectly manicured finger. “Let’s just pretend the second part of our phone conversation didn’t happen. Ok?” Derek scowled down at her, trying not to notice how wild her hair was from the salt and the wind, or how her shoulders and arms were completely bare and he really wanted to kiss the sensitive spot where her shoulder met her neck and hear her whisper his name….  
“Took you long enough,” he growled, turning quickly away from her and stomping towards Charlie’s office.   
“Dad, you didn't have to wait for me,” she spoke from behind him.   
“I know but…”  
“But he wanted to try an irritate me as much as possible before we go and spend two days alone.” Natalie supplied, her smirk eerily similar to Lydia’s.  
“Just get out of here Dad,” Lydia chuckled, standing over her dad’s desk chair until he pushed himself out of it.   
“Ok fine,” Charlie grumbled. He was clearly fighting a losing battle in that household. “Derek, you’re in charge.” Charlie continued, resting a large hand on Derek’s shoulder. “If you have any problems, just call me on my cell.”  
“Just go Dad,” Lydia hissed, already typing away on the keyboard. “Everything will be fine.” Derek allowed himself to smirk slightly. They were an entertaining family.   
“She’s right Charlie,” he admitted, pushing his boss gently after his wife. “Just go have a good time. We’ve got it under control.” With a sigh Charlie ambled out of his office, blowing a kiss at his daughter over his shoulder.   
Which reminded Derek. He was once again alone with the infuriatingly annoying little red head. He sat on the edge of Charlie’s desk, watching her.   
“You got sunburned.” He announced, pleased to see her roll her eyes.  
“Thanks Captain Obvious,” she didn’t look up from the computer as she spoke. “You don’t have to stay here either.” Derek didn’t respond, too transfixed with the way she was biting her lip as she worked.  
“So… what exactly did you want to use my phone number for?” He celebrated a silent victory when her face flushed scarlet, eyes flashing as she finally glared up at him.  
“I thought we were going to forget about that?” she hissed, looking quickly away when he smirked at her.   
“I just wanted to clarify.” He teased as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.   
“Here’s a rule for ya,” she grumbled, looking up at him with a haughty expression. “Rule number four: don’t interrupt my beach days. Got it?”  
Derek rolled his eyes but nodded. He liked being the one to make the rules.   
“Why don’t you go with your folks to the Cape?” he asked, the question popping out of his mouth before he could stop it. Lydia sighed, her face solemn for a moment.  
“I used to go. Every year in July they go for two weeks.” she glanced up at him, her smile full of hurt. “But walking in on your boyfriend of two years fucking the life guard in the spare bedroom kind of ruins the place for you.” Derek flinched back from her, instantly regretting asking her.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” he mumbled, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.  
“Derek, don’t.” the sound of his name on her lips sent a shiver through his body. “It’s in the past. I’m still friends with him actually. Don’t worry about it.”

He stared at her again, wondering why in God’s name she would still be friends with the absolute idiot that would ever cheat on her. He wondered why he liked it when she swore. He wondered why he wanted to give her a hug and tell her that she deserved better. Most of all he wondered why he couldn’t bring himself to hate her like he wanted to.

“Hello? Anybody here?” The jingle of the door and a male voice pulled Derek from his thoughts. 

“We’re closed!” He yelled, surprised that Lydia giggled quietly.   
“Come on back,” she contradicted him, her face lighting up when a jack ass looking kid stepped into the office. “Jackson!” she squealed, launching herself out of the chair and into the kid’s arms.   
“Hey baby,” Jackson murmured, leaning over and trying to press a kiss to her lips. To Derek’s pleasure Lydia quickly turned her head, leaving him no choice but to kiss her cheek.   
“Rule number two…” Derek grumbled under his breath, trying to blame his annoyance on rule breaking.   
“Oh please Derek, this is my ex-boyfriend Jackson,” Lydia said cheerfully, turning to face him with one arm around the kid's waist. “Jackson, this is Derek, he works for my dad.” Jackson extended his hand, and Derek shook it begrudgingly. He raised an eyebrow at Lydia, knowing she would get his silent question. She nodded slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line.   
Oh hell no. He was not about to sit here and play friends with the douchebag who’d cheated on her. Abso-fucking-lutely not.  
“So you got plans tonight?” Jackson, it seemed, was going to act like Derek wasn't even there. Lydia shrugged, her eyes flickering to Derek before staring back up at Jackson.  
“Maybe… do you?”  
“Hey, it was nice to meet you,” Derek interrupted with a growl, hopping quickly off the desk. “I gotta get going, don’t forget to lock up when you leave Red.”  
He waited just long enough to see her reaction to the nickname (narrowed eyes paired with flushed cheeks) before striding out of the store and into the summer heat. He climbed up into his pick up, feeling inexplicably angry. Why did he even care who she chose to spend time with? It wasn’t like he wanted to spend any extra time with her? Right?


	7. Rule #5: Always Wear Your Shoes

It was Monday afternoon and Lydia couldn't wait for her dad to get back. Only one day with Dark and Scary occupying his office had managed to put her over the edge. She had thought they'd made some progress on Saturday, but when she came in this morning Derek was in a fouler mood than ever. So much for progress.

She had done everything she could to keep busy. Every shelf was stocked, the floor had been mopped, and every customer that came in had been personally assisted. But now she was bored, and in the mood to annoy the stand-in boss. He was in the her dad's office, typing angrily with one finger in a way that truly irritated Lydia. She stepped cautiously towards the radio, flinching when her heels clacked loudly on the tile floor.

"Shit," she whispered, bending at the waist and slipping off her shoes and holding them in her left hand.

"What are you doin sugar?" Cheryl piped up from behind the desk, causing Lydia to freeze and glare at her.

"Just restocking the paint brushes," she said loudly, holding a finger to her lips to silence the older woman. Cheryl shook her head, a little smirk on her face. She continued tip toeing towards the radio, a smug grin already in place. She got way too much enjoyment out of this. As her fingers closed around the dial she had to hold in a giggle. Working quickly she tuned the radio in to the local hip hop station. Wiz Khalifa started blasting through the store, her hips already swinging to the beat as she spun around, ready to run and hide at the back of the store.

BAM

Her escape came to a screeching halt when she slammed in a solid wall of muscle.

"Ow!" She whined, rubbing at her nose as she glared up at Derek. Dude had a hard body, that was for sure. And how'd he get over here without making any noise?

"Watch where you're going," he growled, backing her up towards the wall as he reached over her head and put the radio back to oldies. "And stop breaking my rules."

"What is that? Another rule?" Lydia tried to tease him, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Rule number five," he took a step back from her, taking her heels from her and placing them on the floor. "Always wear shoes. You'll get a nail through your foot and I'll end up having to bring your whiney ass to the hospital." Lydia huffed, mouth opening and closing as she tried to decide what she wanted to yell about first.

"You're no fun!" She hissed, feeling even more annoyed when he turned and walked away from her. "And I'm not a whiney ass!"

"Yes, you are." He grumbled, not even turning around. Lydia glared at his back until he disappeared into her father's office.

"Thanks for the heads up Cheryl," Lydia grumbled, leaning across the counter and resting her head in her hands. Cheryl laughed quietly, her fingers brushing through Lydia's hair.

"I gave you a heads up three weeks ago about that hunk sugar," she drawled. "You just didn't want to listen"

"I meant about him standing right behind me!" Lydia hissed, lifting her head to glare at the older woman.

"Oh that!" Cheryl laughed again. "I was just hoping he'd kiss you or something."

"Oh for God's sake," Lydia stood back up and shoved her feet into her shoes. "I'm not going to kiss him! He annoys me! And he probably has some rule against it!"

"There ain't a rule that ain't worth breakin' sweetie," Cheryl said with a sage like nod. With an eye roll Lydia stomped towards the back of the shop, busying herself with organizing the paint samples, and trying not to think about what it might be like to kiss Derek Hale.

\--------

“Why don’t you head out Cheryl, I can finish closing up.” Lydia’s soft voice floated down the hall and into Charlie’s office, where Derek sat behind the computer. He glanced at the clock, sighing when he saw that it was almost five. Another day gone. Tomorrow morning Charlie would be back, and Derek could return to the solitary silence of his warehouse office. Thank God. There were way too many people up here. People mostly meaning Lydia Martin. He couldn’t imagine having to work with her for the rest of his life. He would love to take over CM Lumber for Charlie, but if part of the deal meant working with his daughter on a daily basis…

The only problem was that he had nothing to back up his feelings. She annoyed him. That was it. With her annoying red hair and big annoying eyes and annoyingly pouty lips and ridiculously quick wit. Derek shook his head. _There you go again_. In reality, the fact that he set out to hate her, and was really starting to become attached to her was what made him mad. He just didn’t want to care.

The bell on the door jingled and Derek cocked his head, listening to see who it was.

“Hey Miss Lydia,” the sound of Jordan’s voice had Derek rolling his eyes.

“Jordan…” Lydia sounded slightly cautious, and Derek could picture it in his head. Jordan was probably leaning across the counter, flashing his smile and giving her puppy dog eyes.

“Hey, do you have a map?” Jordan asked. Derek frowned. _What the hell…_

“Um… why do you need a map?” Lydia laughed, obviously as confused as Derek.

“Cause I’m getting lost in your eyes baby.” Jordan drawled. There was a moment of silence, before both Jordan and Lydia burst into laughter.

“You are so smooth I almost can’t stand it,” Lydia giggled, the sound doing things to his stomach that Derek didn’t particularly care for. He cracked his neck, getting ready to go interrupt their fun and possibly give Lydia another rule about not flirting with co-workers. Suddenly Lydia squealed, and the radio started blasting with Lydia singing along.

“Been working so hard, I’m punching my card, eight hours for what, oh tell me what I got!"

"Footloose." Derek growled, cautiously stepping out of the office. Lydia had Jordan by the hands, pulling him with her as she danced like an eighties queen. Derek shrunk back when Jordan spotted him, an evil smirk on his face. He watched as his best friend whispered something in Lydia's ear, the red head turning to face him with a grin. She walked towards him to the beat of the music, still singing loudly.

"Come on Der!" Jordan called from behind her. "Don't pretend like we didn't practice all these dance moves for hours."

"Shut up!" Derek hissed, turning his glare onto Lydia when she grabbed his hands and started pulling him towards the front of the store.

"You're playing so cool, Obeying every rule. Deep way down in your heart, you're burning yearning for somebody to tell you that life ain't passing you by!" Begrudgingly Derek found himself dancing along with Lydia, her infectious giggle when he brought out his Kevin Bacon-esque dance moves bringing an uncontrollable grin to his face.

Jordan joined them, all three waving their hands in the air and dancing like maniacs.

 

"Everybody cut everybody cut, everybody cut footloose!" Derek found himself collapsing against the counter between Jordan and Lydia. They grinned at each other over his head, obviously pleased with themselves.

"This never leaves the room." He growled, glaring between the gigglers that flanked him.

"You've got some moves Hale," Lydia teased, suddenly making him aware of the fact that their arms were brushing and their fingers were still linked from dancing.

"Hush up Red." He grumbled, extracting his hand from hers and musing her curls until they flopped over her eyes. "Later nerds." He strode towards the door, unable to keep himself from smiling. What was happening to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eww epic cheese factor. Sorry I couldn't help it haha. To be honest, I picture everything like a TV show in my head and it would be really cute if this happened on screen, but totally cheesy in writing. Oh well. Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	8. Rule #6: Don't Start Something You Can't Finish

“Sugar, your behind is looking mighty fine in those jeans!” Cheryl whistled at Lydia as she crouched to organize cans of spray paint on a bottom shelf. Lydia winked at Cheryl over her shoulder and wiggled her butt a little for effect. It was weird to wear jeans. Good weird, but still weird. She had decided to turn over a new leaf this morning and attempt to be more of a model employee. This morning she had gotten up early and rode to work with her dad, who was more than excited to see her wearing jeans.

“All we need now is to get you in a CM Lumber t-shirt and some work boots!” He’d exclaimed as they drove to the yard. Lydia had shook her head. There was no way in hell she’d be caught wearing a baggy t-shirt. Ever. And her heeled cowboy boots were the closest she was planning on getting to work boots.

It had been over a week since her impromptu dance party with Jordan and Derek, and she had thoroughly enjoyed teasing Dark and Scary relentlessly about it. Unfortunately he had been hiding down in his office all day today, and she kind of missed annoying him.

“Has Gorgeous seen you wearing them things?” Cheryl asked as Lydia hopped up onto the counter, knocking her heels together in beat to the music on the radio.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” She lied, refusing to meet Cheryl’s eyes. “Jordan?”

“You know damn well who I’m talking about young lady!” the older woman chuckled. “Although Jordan is also very handsome, he does not compare to our boy.”

“Your boy.” Lydia corrected, staring out the window towards the warehouse. What was he doing down there? Why hadn’t he come up here today? Could she sneak down there and play a prank on him? Her eyes lit up at the thought. “I’ll be right back.” She murmured absently, jumping down from the counter and heading for the door.

She tried to stay out of view from Derek’s windows as she snuck down towards the warehouse.

“What are you doing?” She froze, glancing up to find Jordan watching her. Perfect.

“Come here,” she whispered, beckoning for him before ducking down behind a car. Jordan joined her seconds later, a bemused look on his face. “I got bored.”

“I can see that…” he chuckled, raising his eyebrows.

“I want to mess with Derek…” she explained, grinning at the devious smile Jordan had. “And I need you to get him out of his office for like five minutes max.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Just meet me under his window after, we can watch.” Lydia hissed, pushing Jordan’s shoulder until he stood and ambled towards the warehouse.  

A few minutes later he emerged with Derek in tow. They disappeared into the garage, where the company’s mechanic worked on broken equipment. Lydia ran across the parking lot and into Derek’s office. She glanced around, eyebrows raised. The room was smaller than her father’s, but immaculately clean. There were binders and books carefully stacked on floating shelves, a Carhartt jacket, Beacon Hills baseball cap and Hi-Vis vest hung on hook by the door. And Lord did it smell nice in there! _Get back on track woman!_

Shaking her head at herself Lydia hurried over to his desk, sitting carefully on the edge of his chair. _What to do, what to do…_ She considered messing with his desktop background, flipping everything upside down, or making it so he couldn’t click on anything. But that took too much time, and then she’d have to fix it. Spying a stack of sticky notes she peeled one off and turned his computer mouse over. Trying not to cackle like an evil genius she wrote SUCKER in big letters on the post-it and carefully covered the light on the bottom of the mouse. Feeling like a giant twelve year old she put the mouse back and ran out of the office, taking a hard right and diving beneath Derek’s window. Definitely a giant twelve year old.

She could hear footsteps around the corner, and then the sound of Derek’s door opening and slamming shut a few seconds later. Peeking over the window sill she could see him heading towards his chair. He glanced toward the window and she ducked, giggling to herself as Jordan’s head popped around the corner and he crawled along the edge of the building to join her. Holding a finger to her lips, Lydia motioned for him to peer through the window with her.

They watched as Derek flopped into his chair and rolled it closer to his desk. He grabbed his mouse, trying to click on something. He frowned at the computer, now shaking the mouse violently.

“What the hell?” he grumbled, and Lydia had to press her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Derek slammed the mouse on his desk a view times, then stood and checked to make sure the wires were all connected. By now Jordan was chuckling along with her, finding obvious merriment in his friend’s distress. Derek sat back down, huffing with irritation when the mouse still didn’t work. Finally, he flipped the mouse over, his head whipping towards the window so fast that Jordan and Lydia banged heads when they tried to duck.

“Shit!” Lydia hissed already scrambling to get away from the window.

“Run!” Jordan hissed, his eyes widening at the sound of Derek’s office door opening. ‘Save yourself!” Lydia watched with horror as Jordan struggled to get to his feet, only for his legs to be knocked out from under him by a glowering Derek.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute.” Grumpy Pants growled at Jordan, turning to Lydia with a smirk that was probably supposed to be evil but was most definitely turning her on. “Come ‘ere Red.”

Lydia shook her head, backing away a few steps before turning and running as fast as she could for the store.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she ran. She blamed it on adrenaline, fear maybe, but the giggles bubbling from her mouth said otherwise. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she realized Derek was only steps behind her, and then he grabbed for her. His touch was gentle, protective even as he made a show of trapping her against the side of his truck. She leaned her forehead against the bed, trying to focus on anything but the feel of his body against her back.

“Rule number six,” Derek murmured, his breath hot on her neck.Lydia felt her eyelids flutter, and it took every ounce of willpower not to arch her back and grind her ass against his hips. “Don’t start something,” He paused, leaning down until she felt his lips on her ear. “You can’t finish.”

And then he was gone. Leaving her breathless and dizzy and horny and really really annoyed. Well mostly turned on, but that was annoying her so she settled with the more comfortable emotion. Lydia composed herself and then turned around, waltzing back to the store with her head held high.

“Whoooo Miss Thing!” Cheryl was fanning herself with a stack of invoices when Lydia walked in. Lydia narrowed her eyes. This could not be good. “Tell me, how does his body feel all up on you like that?”

“Cheryl!” Lydia hissed, her cheeks burning bright red. “You can’t just say stuff like that!” The older woman chuckled.

“I would be more worried about you doing things that make me need to say the things I say!”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” Lydia grumbled, stalking past Cheryl to grab a water from the fridge in her dad’s office.

“What’s she hollerin’ about out there?” Charlie asked, looking up at her over his computer. Lydia shook her head.

“Just the usual, Cheryl weirdness.”

“I heard that!” Lydia cringed when Cheryl yelled. “Charles! Don't forget you have a dentist appointment in an hour!”

“Shit.” Her dad swore, pushing a hand through his thinning hair. Shaking her head Lydia went back out into the store. Her dad would be lost without Cheryl, that is for sure. Humming along with George Strait she tossed the bottle up in the air, then caught it again, over and over. Plotting. What could she do to Hot and Scary next?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	9. Rule #7: Don't Ask Questions You Don't Want The Answer To

"Okay, I'm heading out ladies! See you tomorrow Cheryl!" Charlie strode towards the door, setting his sunglasses on his head.

"Wait!" Lydia popped out of one of the aisles. "What about me?"

"What about you, honey?" Charlie paused, his hand on the door knob.

"Um... I rode to work with you this morning Dad!" She whined, glaring at her father. He was so dense sometimes.

"And?"

"And now you're leaving!!"

"Oh! Right! Well... I'll have Derek give you a ride home." Charlie grinned at her. "I'll just stop by the warehouse and ask him."

"Wait no Cheryl please!" Lydia tried to argue, but of course Cheryl pretended like she couldn't hear her, and her father continued on his merry way. This was going to be awkward.

\-----

"Come on Hale! Can we go!" Lydia was whining. Again. Did the girl ever stop? Derek glared at her over his computer.

"I need to finish putting these orders in with the sawmill up in Maine." He grumbled, stabbing at the keyboard with his pointer fingers.

"Why are you typing like that? Why do we get lumber from Maine? Isn't there a closer sawmill? Wouldn't that save money? And local lumber, people would probably like that." She was off, spouting questions and answering them herself. She was fascinating. And Derek hated it.

"Why do you have to ask so many damn questions Red?" He sighed, smirking when she sniffed at the nickname.

"Everyone else has been gone for more than an hour! I wanna go home!" She propped her feet up on his desk. Derek glared at her.

"No one's stopping you from walking home. Feet. Off." He pushed at her boots, trying his damnedest not to look at the jean clad calves and thighs connected to the stupid things. Huffing Lydia stood up and paced around his office. _And now I'm looking at her butt. Stop it!_ But she sure did look good in jeans. It was... Different.

"Fine. I'm going." She stomped her feet, slowly making her way towards the door. She glanced over her shoulder at him, once, twice, her red curls swinging around her face.

"Oh for god's sake," Derek swore, shutting down his computer and rolling his eyes. "Fine." He pulled his baseball hat low over his eyes. "Let's go."

\---

Lydia stared at the open door of Derek's truck, judging the distance between the ground and the floor boards. She had never really noticed how high off the ground the thing was. She _had_ noticed it was nice. Real nice. Like _‘hey baby what's up?’_ nice. It was an older style Chevy, the kind with the square edges, and a diesel (when you're a daddy's girl and he drives a diesel truck, you learn from a young age to recognize the sound). The wheels were black, and the tires came up past her waist. Add on a four inch lift kit and dark tint on the windows, and Lydia was in love. With the truck of course.

But now she had to get in it.

"Are you gonna get in or what?" Derek growled from the driver's seat.

"Yeah. Yeah," she murmured. Taking a deep breath she jumped for the handle on the dash, pulling herself up and into the truck. "You know," she grumbled, stretching to grab the door and slam it shut. "A gentleman would've helped a lady into the vehicle." Derek glowered at her as the truck roared to life beneath them.

"Who ever said you were a lady Red?"

Lydia's jaw dropped. What a jerk!

"That's rude." She said after a moment. Not sure what else she could possibly say to him. She glanced up to find him grinning at her. “What?” She snarled, not a fan of the way his smile made her insides all warm.

“Nothing.” Derek smirked. “I have to stop at the bank.”

“Are you serious?” Lydia groaned, knocking her head against the headrest. She just wanted to go home. Derek didn’t answer her, instead he just took a hard right and pulled into the bank parking lot. She glared at him when he hopped out of the truck, then pulled a white t-shirt out from behind his seat.. Her brow furrowed, what was he doing? And then he pulled his CM Lumber shirt over his head, and Lydia lost her train of thought.

Derek Hale had a perfect body. His shoulders were broad and his biceps bulged and his pecs were defined and his abs were mouth watering and she wanted to touch - no lick every inch of him. And then he was covered again, the white t-shirt making him look every part of the bad boy reputation he carried.

“Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” He ordered, his eyes (which she decided were hazel… maybe) suddenly crinkling in the corners. “You got a little… drool….” He repeated her words from a couple of weeks ago. Lydia flipped him off, not trusting herself to speak.

She watched him walk into the bank, that stupid t-shirt stretched tight across his back. Why did he have to go and do that to her? She’d known he had a attractive face, but now… she was fantasizing about him already. _Dammit. Dammit. Dammit._

Trying to occupy her thoughts she popped open the glove compartment, rifling through the papers. Feeling slightly guilty she squinted through the windshield. Derek was clearly flirting with the teller (what was her name again? Jennifer? Julia?) his stupidly good looking grin on full display. Rolling her eyes (and feeling much less guilty) she continued searching. Her fingers brushed against velvet, and she froze. Closing her fingers around a box she pulled it out, her eyes wide. This was a gold mine. She carefully opened the box, a gasp escaping her lips as she stared at the delicate diamond ring nestled inside. _Oh boy oh boy oh boy._

“What are you doing?” She jumped at the sound of Derek’s voice, her cheeks flushing bright red.

“I-I um I sorry?” she stuttered, caught totally off guard. Derek jumped up into the truck, taking the box from her and shutting it gently. “So who’s the lucky girl?” Lydia asked, smirking up at him. Derek just shook his head, scowl deepening as he started the truck.

“Rule number seven: don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers too.” Derek’s voice wasn’t as hard as it usually was, so Lydia decided to push her luck.

“Oh come on Hale? You can tell me!” She grinned at him, dying to know about his secret girlfriend. And _definitely_ not feeling any jealousy at all.

“Lydia. No.” He grumbled, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

“Pleaseeeee!”

“Fine. Fine. You want to know so bad? She’s dead.” His eyes met hers, full of sorrow. “Happy?” Lydia’s heart dropped as if it had turned to stone. Her throat tightened painfully as she tried to speak.

“Oh… I’m sorry Derek.” she whispered, wishing she could hold his hand or wrap him in a hug.

“I should get rid of it.” He spoke after a few moments.   
“Why?” Lydia asked, just because she felt like he wanted to talk about it.

“It’ll be six years this fall, it’s been long enough.”

“Paige Roberson.” Lydia whispered, realization dawning on her. She remembered, the whole town had been in mourning for months. There had been a car accident, resulting in the death of 18 year old Paige.

“Yeah." Derek was staring straight ahead. "I was going to propose to her that night, the night she... The night it happened."

"Derek..." Lydia breathed, her heart breaking for him.

"I don't want your sympathy." His voice was harsh, but she knew he was just trying to close her out. So she kept quiet, simply reaching for his right hand and squeezing it with hers. She didn’t speak again until he pulled up in front of your house.

“I think you should keep it.” She said firmly, her hand still closed around his. Derek shook his head, looking like he wanted to argue. “No, listen to me. When you find _the one_ , it’ll mean so much more if she understands the story of that ring. And if you can give it to her, it’ll mean you really love her.” Lydia smiled weakly at him, not sure exactly why she felt like her heart was breaking for him. She went to pull her hand away from him, but he held on tighter.

“I don’t think I’ll ever find someone else.” Derek whispered. When she looked up at him, his eyes were filled with what might have been fear. “I’m not worth the effort.” _Ok. Now my heart is definitely breaking._

“Hey,” she turned towards him, pushing herself onto her knees and leaning across the center console. “Look at me.” Placing her right hand on his cheek she turned him towards her. “That is one hell of a lie Hale. And I might call you a lot of things, but you’re definitely not a liar.” Derek rolled his eyes, but he didn’t push her hand away from his face. “Just because you’re a big old grumpy, rule making, sarcastic pain in the ass doesn’t mean that you’re unworthy. Because even I-” She stopped herself. _Because even I’m starting to like you._ She swallowed hard, trying to figure out how to save this conversation. But his face was so close, and his eyes were still sad but he was smiling kind of and she just wanted to kiss him god dammit. “Because even I don’t hate you all the time.” She whispered finally, forcing herself to back away from him and climb out of the truck. She wondered why she didn’t want to get out, why she wanted to sit and talk with him, to help him get past his grief. She wondered why she wanted to be his friend.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today because they go together and because I'm impatient lol
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	10. Rule #8: Keep Each Other's Secrets

Derek stared at her as she backed away from him, fighting the urge to lean his cheek into her hand as she pulled away. There was a flush creeping up her neck, and he had a distinct feeling that she might care a little more about him than she let on. And he clearly cared a lot more about her judging by the amount of information he’d just revealed. He hadn’t talked about Paige to anyone except his sister Laura, not even Jordan. Laura was the only person that even knew he bought a ring. It was his most closely guarded secret.

“Hey,” He spoke quietly, “Come over here.” He waited as Lydia shut the passenger door and walked around the front of the truck, her chin barely reaching the bottom of his window. She was staring at him with those deep green eyes. “You’re one of the only people that knows about the ring… So um…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Her voice was soft, and sad he realized.

“I trust you.” The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I mean, with important stuff.” He back tracked, watching the grin spread across Lydia’s face and hating the way it made his heart happy. “I don’t trust you when it comes to stupid stuff like sticky notes and dancing and messing with my radio.”

“Rather illogically I trust you too.” Lydia cut him off, her face going serious. “Rule number eight: keep each other’s secrets.” Derek just looked at her a moment, kind of annoyed that he actually liked a rule she proposed.

“Fine. Rule number eight.” He grumbled, forcing a scowl when she smiled at him.

“Bye Hale,” she grinned. “See you tomorrow.”

He watched her walk back around his truck, hips swinging and looking all kinds of hot with her tight jeans and red hair and perfect little body.

“I need a drink.” Derek grumbled, shifting his truck into first and heading for the bar.

\------------------

“Where have you been dude?” Jordan whined as Derek slid onto the barstool beside him.

“I was busy.” Derek grumbled, motioning for the bar tender.

“Your usual?” she asked, looking like she was trying to hold in a full on grin.

“Make it two.” He murmured, frowning slightly as she filled up two frosted glasses with beer. This sudden change in the bartender’s demeanor (he thought her name might be Allie? Allison? Alisa?) was bugging him. He’d liked her because she wasn't a huge talker, she didn't try to have conversations with him (unlike his sister Laura, who owned the bar and thought of herself as a part time therapist).

“Busy doing what?” Jordan pressured, his eyes narrowed.

“I was bringing-” he paused. No. Not telling Jordan that. “I had to go to the bank.” Jordan grinned, nodding his head approvingly.

“Sweet talkin Jennifer huh man? You gotta ask her out soon!” Derek just rolled his eyes and gulped down some beer. Jennifer was pretty. And she was definitely his type. And a month ago he had all the intentions to ask her out. But for some reason he’d lost interest. “I’m thinking about asking Lydia out.” Jordan added.

Derek froze, beer halfway to his mouth, eyes wide as he stared at Jordan. His friend just gazed back at him a moment, and then started to chuckle. He felt heat start to creep across his cheeks as he tried to cover up his reaction.

“Go for it buddy,” he forced cheerfulness, patting Jordan on the arm and glancing warily at the bartender who was most definitely eavesdropping. Jordan was now full on laughing, his head resting in his arms as he slapped his thigh.

“Buddy? Buddy!” he wheezed. “Since when do you call me _Buddy_ Der?”

Derek just scowled at him, finishing his first beer and starting on the second. This was so not how he pictured this night going.

“Jordan, are you ok?” The bartender had returned, looking concerned for the idiot.

“Oh yeah Allie Cat,” Jordan coughed. “I’m dandy! Can you get my friend over here a shot of reality? He’s in total denial.” The girl laughed, dimples appearing in her cheeks. She had dark hair and dark eyes, and was pretty in a kick ass kind of way. She leaned on the bar, cocking her head as she looked Derek over.

“Let me guess, girl problems?” She asked sweetly. Derek narrowed his eyes. Why was this girl suddenly so eager to talk to them? She’d been tending bar for almost two years now and never spoke more than necessary. And he _liked_ that!

“I don’t have any problems.” Derek growled, turning his glare towards Jordan.

“He’s got more problems than you can count,” Jordan offered, ignoring Derek’s glare and instead leaning toward Allie. “But the biggest one is that he is in love with our boss’s daughter.” Allie gasped at this, her face lighting up like she had just found the answer to life.

“Aw that’s so cute!” she gushed to Jordan, both of them ignoring Derek’s sounds of protest. He was not in love with her for God’s sake! “I think Lydia is in denial too!” Both Derek and Jordan froze at this, and Allie at least had the decency to look guilty. “I’m her best friend…” She mumbled, face turning all different shades of red. “Well maybe not if she finds out about this.” She held her hand over the bar towards Jordan. “I’m Allison Argent, my dad owns Beacon Hills Firearms down the street.”

“Jordan Parrish.” he shook her hand, already recovering from the shock and smirking. “And this grumpy old man in Derek Hale.” He motioned towards Derek, who just rolled his eyes.

“I know who he is,” Allison was smirking again, and making Jordan way too happy. “All Lydia does is complain about how-” she made air quotes with her fingers. “annoying you are.”

“Ok see,” Derek broke into the conversation, setting his empty glass on the bar. “We don't like each other, we aggravate each other! All we do is argue, and even tonight when I gave her a ride home it was just a big awkward annoying conversation about stuff I didn't want to talk about!” Both Jordan and Allie were staring at him, wide mouths slowly turning into smirks.

“I thought you said you went to the bank?” Jordan asked, looking all too pleased with himself.

“I did,” Derek replied haughtily. “Charlie had to leave early and he asked me to bring Lydia home. It’s no big deal.” _Why do I do this to myself?_

“So what did you talk about?” Allie asked, eyes alight with glee.

“You know,” Derek pointed a finger at her. “I think I liked you a lot better when you didn’t talk.” Allison just grinned and raised her brows, waiting for his answer. “We didn’t talk about anything.” He grumbled. This was supposed to be relaxing, going to the bar. It was NOT supposed to be a full on interrogation on his life choices.

“I bet Lydia will tell us,” Jordan said, motioning for Allison to text her.

“She won’t.” Derek answered all too quickly, realizing too late that his conviction in her only made him look more suspicious.

‘What were you two really doing?” Jordan asked, waggling his eyebrows. Derek rolled his dramatically, sighing for extra effect.

“I already told you!” he hissed, pulling a ten dollar bill out of his pocket and slamming it on the counter. “I gotta get going. My dad needs help milking the cows tonight.” He stormed out of the bar, trying not to care that Jordan and Allison would be talking about him as soon as he was out of earshot. What did it matter anyway? He just needed to go home, get some sleep, and start fresh tomorrow.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!
> 
> XOXO - B


	11. Rule #9: Don't. Take. My. Food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A little (tiny, way too short) bit of smut ahead... you've been warned ;)

Lydia stood on her bare tip toes, reaching for the dial on the radio. Smiling when her fingers touched the polished wood, she listened carefully for a new station to come through.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Derek growled. She could feel his breath on her neck, the heat of his body against her back. Biting her lip she leaned against him, sighing when his large hands circled her waist.

“Derek,” she sighed, letting her head loll back onto his shoulder, exposing her neck, begging for him to kiss her. And he did. Oh god he did. His lips were gentle and warm at first, kissing down the column of her throat. The stubble on his chin scrapped at her smooth skin, sending delightful shivers down her spine. And then he was spinning her around, lips hungry, urgent against hers as he pushed her up against the wall. He nipped at her bottom lip, and Lydia moaned against him, her lips parting and allowing his tongue to slip against hers.

And then suddenly they were in her bed, naked, and Derek was thrusting inside her, her orgasm building.

“Lydia!”

She just moaned quietly, too far gone to speak.

“Lydia! Wake up!”

Her eyes flew open with a yelp as she sat up dizzyingly fast. Clutching her sheets to her chest, her eyes settled on Allison, who was perched on the edge of her bed.

“What the hell!” she hissed, trying to get her body to catch up from her dream and get into the real world. “What are you doing!”

“I texted you and you didn’t answer!” Allison pouted, her doe eyes immediately breaking Lydia’s resolve.

“That’s because I was sleeping dummy,” she muttered, flopping back down into her pillows. “It’s one in the morning, how can I help you?” Allison grinned in a way that made Lydia slightly uncomfortable. This could not be good.

“So I met your friends from work tonight,” she began, her voice overly cheerful.

“How did you get in here anyways?” Lydia interrupted, already not liking where this conversation was going.

“I climbed in the window. So anyways, I got to talk to Jordan and _Derek_ -”

“You climbed in my window! What are you? Spider man? Who does that?” Lydia hissed. But Allison just waved a hand at her and continued talking.

“And I heard that he gave you a ride home today!”

“So?” Lydia raised an eyebrow. She was in no mood for this.

“So? What happened? What’d you talk about? Did you kiss him?” Allison was inching closer to her, and she knew within minutes her best friend would be inches from her face, begging for answers.

“We didn’t talk about anything,” Lydia grumbled, stifling a yawn with her hand. “You should go home and go to bed. Your dad will have a search party out for you soon.”

“That’s the same thing Derek said,” Allison hummed softly, watching Lydia pensively.

“That you should go home? Wow, he’s smarter than I thought.” But Allison ignored her snark, instead staring off into the darkness of her bedroom.

“Very interesting…” she murmured. "Alright see ya later Lyds!" Allison planted a soft kiss on Lydia's forehead and then bounced to the window, disappearing through it.

"What just happened?" Lydia muttered, rolling over and curling into a ball. Her eyes drooped shut, and she drifted back to sleep.

\-----------

"What are you doing sweet cheeks?" Derek almost jumped out of his skin, flinching back from the door.

"Cheryl!" He hissed. "You scared me!" He held a hand to his heart. "Why don't you go out to lunch or something gorgeous?" Cheryl smiled at him, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Don't you go sweet talkin me sugar!" She admonished, shaking a finger at him. "What are you up to?"

"Just uh...don't sit in your chair... Ok?" He tried to smile innocently, sure that he probably looked guiltier than ever.

"Honey," Cheryl had a pitying look on her face. "There's better ways to get a girl or like you than playing tricks on her."

"I do not - just go get lunch Cheryl." He grumbled, wheeling Charlie's chair back towards the desk. Cheryl winked at him before ambling back out into the store.

"I'm going to grab a sandwich down the street darlin," he heard her speak to Lydia, followed by the jingle of the door. _Atta girl Cheryl._

Charlie had taken the day off, he and Natalie were going to their house on the Cape again. He had a feeling that now that he and Lydia were taking on bigger roles at the lumberyard, Charlie would be spending a lot more time out of town. Derek didn’t mind. He was beginning to become attached to Charlie’s office, and he hated to admit, his daughter.

But he didn’t have time to think about that right now, because he was currently working on getting Lydia back for her little sticky note prank the day before. The bell on the door jingled again, and Derek scooted back towards the doorway, peering out into the store.

“Hey Lyd, I brought you some lunch!” Derek’s cousin Malia was leaning against the counter, a to-go box from the local diner in front of her.

“Thanks Li! You’re the best.” Lydia was behind the counter, and Derek watched as she kissed his cousin on the cheek. He hadn’t realized that Malia was friends with Lydia. Then again, he never really paid attention to that kind of thing. “What’d you bring me?” Lydia asked, lifting the cover of the box and moaning. Derek sucked in a breath, wishing he didn’t want to hear her make that noise over and over again. In bed. Naked. While he was… _Focus man, focus_. “Oh Li! You made me my favorite!” He could smell french fries and buffalo sauce, and his stomach grumbled loudly.

“Hey, I didn’t name it The Lydia for no reason,” Malia chuckled, stealing a fry out of the box and popping it in her mouth. But Derek was focused on Lydia, holding his breath as she sank down into Cheryl’s chair.

An air horn blared loudly, causing Lydia to scream and stumble out of the chair, landing on the floor. Derek laughed loudly, leaning back into his chair and slapping his hands on his thighs. Her reaction had been perfect, absolutely perfect.

“Hale!” she was screeching, and Derek could hear her heels clacking loudly on the tile floor as stalked towards him. He didn’t bother to hide, instead sitting proudly in his chair, grinning.

“Problems Red?” he drawled, enjoying the way her green eyes flashed angrily.

“What the fuck was that?” she hissed, poking his chest roughly. Derek just grinned, making eye contact with Malia in the doorway.

“Hey Malia,” He said sunnily. “Did you make me anything special little cousin?”

“Oi! Hale! Focus!” Lydia snapped her fingers in front of his face, drawing his attention back to her scowling face, only inches from his own.

“I’m sorry Red, what’s up?” He was thoroughly enjoying this. “Oh right, I told you yesterday, rule number six.” She narrowed her eyes, jabbing him one more time in the chest before turning on her heel and stomping back out into the store.

Grinning to himself Derek followed her, trying to ignore the curious look on Malia’s face.

“So Lyd,” Malia asked cautiously, eyes wary as Lydia roughly flipped Cheryl’s chair over and ripped the air horn that was taped to it off. “Are you going to the lake tonight?”

“What’s at the lake?” Derek interrupted, eying the sandwich in the take out box hungrily.

“Bonfire, duh.” Malia raised a brow. “I’m pretty sure the whole town knows… how do you not?” Derek just shrugged.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Jackson’s picking me up.” Lydia huffed, finally sitting down in the chair and picking up half the sandwich. She took a huge bite, groaning in appreciation and giving Malia a thumbs up. “You are a goddess Li.” Deciding to take his chances (and maybe just a little annoyed about Jackson’s name being brought in the conversation), Derek picked up the other half, taking a bite.

“Oh man, Malia,” he mumbled around the food. “This is good.” Lydia was glaring at him, her mouth open in shock.

“Okay, that’s it!” she hissed. “Rule number nine. Don’t. Take.” she ripped the sandwich from him. “My. Food.”

“I don’t like that rule,” Derek grumbled, looking to Malia for back-up. HIs cousin just shook her head, backing away from them with her hands up.

“I am so not involved in this,” she mumbled, heading for the door. “I’ll see you guys tonight.” Derek watched her go, before glancing down at Lydia. She was angrily chewing, her hand protectively on the other half of her sandwich.

“Can I have a fry?... Please?” He pouted, sticking his lower lip out and widening his eyes. Lydia glared at him, until a flush crept up her neck and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine.” she grumbled, pushing the box towards him. “Are you gonna go to the lake?” She asked. Derek shrugged, popping the fry into his mouth.

“Not really my scene.” He said finally, watching her expression carefully. He might have imagined that she looked slightly disappointed (no, he definitely didn't imagine it), but she covered it with a smirk.

“Don’t you have a job to do Hale?” She raised a brow. “Let me enjoy my lunch.” Derek felt his lips lift on one corner, fighting the urge to lean across the counter and kiss her right on the mouth. Instead he turned and walked back towards Charlie’s office, pausing in the doorway. She was watching him with narrowed eyes.

“Don't act like you don't enjoy my company Red.” he winked at her, waiting just long enough to see her gasp slightly before disappearing into the office. Sinking back into the chair, he couldn’t help but grin. He hadn’t had this much fun at work in… well ever.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading as always! This is a REALLY slow burn story so my apologies for that... 
> 
> XOXO - B


	12. Rule #10: Never Say Sorry For Things Out Of Your Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some violence and non-con stuff between Jackson & Lydia (nothing sexual actually happens without her consent, but he does push her), with alcohol heavily involved. Just a warning for those who are uncomfortable reading about these subjects.

Derek didn't know why he decided to go to the lake. Maybe it was because both Jordan and his sister Cora had insisted he go. Maybe it was because he was craving human interaction for the first time in years. In all likelihood, it was simply because he knew Lydia Martin was going to be there. _Dammit all to hell._ He parked his truck in between Jordan's flat black mustang (it was a '67 they'd restored a couple of years ago, Jordan only brought it out on weekends) and a piece of crap looking blue jeep. He turned his truck off and sat there for a moment, trying not to cringe at the sound of music and yells and laughter. He couldn't remember the last time he had gone to a damn party.

Taking a deep breath he hopped out of the truck, shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans and trudging down onto the sand. It was funny, the way things worked in small towns. In high school, everybody always kept to their individual grades, the people you were on classes with. After graduation, the year you were born didn't matter anymore. There were only so many young people in town, and everybody was friends with everybody. Hence, the frequent bonfires down on the shore of the lake, that nobody planned, but everybody showed up to. It was a way of life.

"Derek!" He was slightly ashamed to admit that he was relieved to see his sister waving at him, seated on a log in between Allie the bartender and Erica.

"Derek!!!" Erica squealed, pushing herself to her feet and running at him. Cringing internally Derek caught her in his arms. Erica had been Cora's best friend for as long as he could remember. She'd also had a crush on him for as long as he could remember. And it made Derek _very_ uncomfortable.

Not that Erica wasn't pretty. She had grown up into a beautiful woman, but Derek loved her like a sister. He'd just never been sexually attracted to her, that's all.

"Hi Ricky," he patted her back, before gently pulling her against his side and walking towards his sister.

"Hey! It's the rule maker!" That Stiles kid was seated in the sand, his head leaned back against the chest of a kid seated on a log behind him.

"Stiles," Derek growled, deciding to be brave and sit on the log next to who he guessed to be Stiles' boyfriend.

"Hey man, I'm Danny." The kid held out his hand, smiling humorously. "Feel free to ignore this dumbass."

"You're supposed to love me!" Stiles whined, pouting up at Danny. Danny just shook his head, but Derek didn't miss the love in his eyes as he pressed a gentle kiss into Stiles' hair.

"Derek," Allison appeared in front of him, pulling three more people with her. "I want you to meet my friend Scott," A vaguely familiar kid with dark friendly eyes extended his hand towards Derek. "And his girlfriend Kira," the girl waved, "and my boy- um my friend, that's a guy and um, this is Isaac." A curly headed kid stepped forward rolling his eyes and grinning at Derek.

"Hey man, how's it goin?" He settled onto the log next to Derek, smirking up at Allie. "You never fail to impress me with your introductions Allison." He teased, smirking until she landed a punch on his arm. "Ow baby, that hurt!" Allison grinned at Isaac before dropping into his lap, turning her attention to Derek.

“I’m surprised to see you here.” She said, raising her eyebrows as if she knew the _real_ reason why he had decided to attend. Derek stared at the bonfire and shrugged, unable to come up with a solid story for why he’s come out of his hermit shell… other than Lydia of course.

“Yo! Any of you guys want a beer?” Scott yelled from the other side of the fire. He was reaching into the back of a pick-up. A pick up that happened to have Jordan Parrish sitting on the tailgate, next to the douche-bag of the year, _Jackson_ … The asshole’s legs were wrapped around the one and only Lydia Martin, who was sipping on a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and laughing at something Jackson had said.

“I’ll take one!” Derek waved his hand at Scott, sending a glare at Jordan. Who was grinning, like an idiot, and probably coming to all the wrong conclusions about Derek’s feelings at the moment. Because he was _not_ jealous, or angry, or pissed, or anything like that. Obviously.

“So tell me Derek,” Stiles was speaking again, “How many rules are you and Queenie up to now?” Derek rolled his eyes and shrugged, thanking Scott when he handed him a can of beer.

“Nine,” Malia’s voice came from behind them as she walked towards the fire. “I witnessed the creation of it this afternoon.”

“So what are all the rules? I want to hear them!” Allison begged, enjoying this way too much.

“Oh I dunno,” Derek scoffed, not daring to make eye contact with any of them. “I don’t really keep track.”

“Rule one is that Lydia can only play country and oldies in the store,” Stiles interrupted, holding up one finger. “And rule two is no flirting with customers.”

“Rule three is to always answer your phone,” Allison added. “I got to hear all about that one.”

“And rule four is to not interrupt Lydia’s beach days,” Malia said over her shoulder as she held her hands towards the flames.

"And rule five is to always wear shoes!" Kira piped up from her seat next to Isaac.

“Number six is don’t start something you can’t finish,” Stiles smirked up at Derek. “Which I only know about because she used me as a prank creation resource."

“And rule nine is that Derek can’t eat her food.” Malia turned from the fire and pulled a camp chair over to sit in front of Derek.

“I don’t see why you guys even asked me the question,” he grumbled. “You obviously already know them all.”

“What about seven and eight?” Cora leaned around Danny, an evil little sister grin on her face. Derek scowled at her, digging a hole in the sand with the heel of his boot.

“I don’t remember…” he growled, taking a long swig of beer and praying that his sister would let this go.

“Liar!” Cora and Erica chorused, both of them now smirking at him.

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes and chugged down some more beer. “Rule seven is don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer too, and eight is…” He paused. He really didn’t want to share number eight, but there was no way in hell he could get a lie through to his sister’s face. “Eight is no blabbing each other’s personal stuff.”

“Those are awful interesting rules there Derek,” Allison said slowly, drawing his attention back to her. Derek just made a face at her, not particularly thrilled about sharing any more information with her...or anybody for that matter

“Hey wait a minute…” He looked at Isaac and then back at Scott who had a football tucked under one arm. “You’re McCall and Lahey, the legendary quarterback and running back of 2012!”

“Yeah man, that’s us!” Scott grinned, reaching out to bump his fist against Isaac's.

“And I’m Stilinski, the legendary kicker and third member of the trio!” Stiles interjected enthusiastically.

“Stilinski?” Derek narrowed his eyes. “Any relation to the Chief of Police?”

“Yeah!” Stiles grinned proudly. “That’s my old man!”

“Oh,” Derek blanched, before grinning lopsidedly at Stiles. “Probably don’t wanna mention that you know me.” He chuckled and pushed himself up off the log. Officer Stilinski was a good guy, he was the one who had pushed Derek to get a job at the lumber yard. Unfortunately, that came after one too many arrests, warnings, and speeding tickets. Derek was pretty sure that Stilinski would not be pleased to know his son was hanging around with him. “Yo, lemme see that.” He held up his hand for the football, catching it easily when Scott threw it too him.

“Derek, don’t even try to be a show off right now.” Cora grumbled, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. “You graduated like a million years ago, get over yourself.” Derek just grinned at her and glanced discreetly over his shoulder to see if Lydia was watching him. She was, her lips quirking up slightly in the corner.

“Malia go long,” Derek grumbled, chuckling as his cousin scrambled to her feet and took off down the lakeshore. Unsurprisingly Cora jumped to her feet too, taking off after Malia and kicking up sand with her barefeet.

“You were quarterback weren’t you?” Danny asked. Derek nodded.

“Yup, I trained up those two idiots to carry on the Hale tradition… but they were too scared to go up against all you boys.” With another laugh he snapped his arm, watching as the ball spiraled through the air towards Malia. She caught it easily, sliding to a stop in the sand and charging back towards him. She dodged Cora once, only to have her come up from behind with an illegal tackle, knocking both of them into the lake. The boys all cheered as the girls crawled out of the water, dripping wet and laughing like idiots. But Derek was distracted by Allison muttering,

“Aaaaand Lydia’s drunk.” He looked sharply over at the red head, who was still leaning against Jackson’s legs.

“How can you tell?” He whispered.

“Look at the way she’s hanging all over Jackson… And she’s switched over to a solo cup, which can only mean she drank the six pack she brought with her.” Allison answered, her tone suggesting that she was well accustomed to Lydia’s antics.

“Aren’t you guys friends with Jackson? Why isn’t he hanging out with you?” Derek asked, his eyes still focused on Lydia.

“Friends is a _loose_ term.” Stiles grumbled, earning a smack from Danny.

“He’s my best friend.” Danny explained, looking up at Derek apologetically. “He can be kind of a jerk, but he’s got a good heart.” Derek simply raised his brows, not wanting to bring up that idea that anybody who cheats on anybody else does not have a good heart. The faces that Stiles was making suggested that he was on the same page.

“Jackson just sees Jordan as someone like him,” Allison explained. “You know, King of the Jocks _and_ Pretty Boys… Makes him feel cool to be seen talking to him.” Derek rolled his eyes, not impressed at all. He knew first hand that Jordan was an idiot more than anything else.

“Jordan is not cool.” Derek chuckled, turning around just in time to catch the football that Cora had chucked at his head.

So Derek played football and drank beer, and actually might have managed to make a few new friends. It was nearly two hours later when he glanced around the bonfire, skimming over the familiar faces of people he went to high school with, that he realized Lydia was gone. An overwhelming sense of disappointment flooded him, immediately deflating his good mood.

“Hey,” He clapped McCall on the shoulder. “I’m gonna head home, it was good to meet you.” Scott grinned up at him over his girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Good to meet you too bro,” he answered cheerfully. “See ya around!” Derek nodded at him once more before slipping into the crowd, hoping to avoid making a scene by saying goodbye to any of the girls. He’d made it almost to his truck when he heard it.

“Jackson no!” Lydia groaned, her voice clearly affected by alcohol. Derek froze, then followed her voice, ducking between cars and trucks and dirtbikes. “I said no.” She slurred again. Derek’s eyes narrowed. Jackson had her pushed up against the side of a Porsche ( _who the fuck drives a Porsche?_ ), one hand sliding up her thigh, the other holding her chin firmly.

“Please Lydia,” the kid snarled. “Don’t act like you don’t want me.” Anger began to boil underneath Derek’s skin, his hands trembling with it.

“You’re dr-drunk Jacksonnn,” Lydia mumbled, her eyelids drooping.

“So are you,” he replied, turning her head to the side and kissing down her neck.

“I don’t want to tonight!” Lydia’s voice was rising, her chest starting to heave with panic. Derek had seen enough. He stalked towards the pair, anger only increasing when he saw the relief in Lydia’s eyes at the sight of him.

“Leave her alone,” he growled. Jackson whipped around, a smirk already on his face. Now that he was closer Derek could see how bloodshot the kids eyes were, how red his cheeks and nose were from too much alcohol.

“What was that?” Jackson asked, his hands leaving Lydia and curling into fists.

“I don’t think she wants to be with you right now.” Derek said carefully. He was _trying_ to keep his temper under control. There was a reason he was on first name basis with the majority of the police officers in town.

“And what makes you think you know what she wants?” Jackson’s voice was deathly quiet as he pushed up into Derek’s space. “I think it’s time you mind your own business there asshole. This is my girl. I get to decide what she wants.” Shaking his head Derek reached for Lydia, holding his hand out to her.

“Come on Red, I’ll give you a ride home.” Her little hand had just slipped into his when he saw Jackson cock his arm back out of the corner of his eye. Derek blocked the punch with his left hand, moving in between Lydia and Jackson quickly. “You don’t want to do this.” He warned, watching the younger man warily.

“You don’t want to try and…” Jackson blinked for a moment, as if he lost his train of thought. “You don’t own her, I do!” He pushed Derek hard, then reached for Lydia’s arm.

“Don’t you touch her!” Derek roared, his temper breaking free as he swung, landing a well aimed punch on Jackson’s jaw. He stumbled back from Lydia, leaving a red handprint on her arm where he had grabbed her.

Derek scooped Lydia into his arms, not even looking back as he stalked towards his truck. She was crying into his shoulder, her hands fisted in his t-shirt. He could smell the alcohol on her, fruity with an undertone of what he guessed to be vodka.

“Hey, you’re gonna be ok.” He whispered, holding her with one arm as he opened the passenger door of the truck. She clung to him when he set her on the seat, cheeks stained with tears and mascara.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out, shame clear on her face.

“Hey,” Derek placed a palm on either side of her face. “Rule number ten, never say sorry for things out of your control.” Lydia’s lower lip trembled, and then she was crying again, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him as close as he could be while still standing on the ground.

“I should’ve done something!” she sobbed. “He’s not usually like that!”

“I know,” Derek lied, rubbing her back. He didn't know. And when she was sober, they were going to have a long conversation about how no matter how drunk a guy is, or how drunk you are, it’s never excusable to make someone do what they don’t want. But for now, all he was worried about was getting her home.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a disclaimer, I didn't mind Jackson in Teen Wolf (I mean, he was kind of a jerk, but I still liked him), and I absolutely ADORE Colton Haynes... This characterization of Jackson is a little bit different, and I hope I don't offend anyone with it.  
> That being said, thank you for reading! I really want to work all of their friends into this story, but I am finding it really difficult to get everybody in. (Of course the perks of fan-fiction is that everybody already knows the characters so I don't really have to develop them lol) Anyways... thanks again!
> 
> XOXO - B


	13. Rule #11: Pinky Swears Are Law... Dude

Lydia whimpered quietly, and out of the corner of his eye, Derek saw her clutch at her stomach.

“We’re almost there,” he murmured, thanking the heavens that he was pulling into the Martin’s driveway and not still on the road.

“I don’t feel so good,” she mumbled, her head drooping like it was too heavy for her neck. Throwing the truck in park Derek jumped out and ran around to her side. The _last_ thing he wanted was puke all over the inside of his truck. No way. No how.

“Come on Lyd,” he murmured, scooping her into his arms and rushing towards the house. “Just don’t throw up on me please.”

“Everything’s spinning….” she slurred, staring up at him while he climbed the porch steps. “Except you, you’re…” she giggled to herself. “Solid!” He couldn’t help but smile at her, thanking God once again that the front door was unlocked (they lived in that kind of town). “I don’t feel good Derek.” She repeated, her hands hot and sweaty on the back of his neck.

“Ok, come on, here’s the bathroom.” Derek said gently, setting her down on the floor. She immediately dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the toilet. “I can’t believe this is happening right now.” Derek grumbled to himself, before leaning over her and scooping her hair out of her face, just seconds before she started to retch.

He rubbed Lydia’s back with his free hand, patiently waiting for her to be done. It seemed to go on forever. Nasty puking interspersed with incoherent mumbling and crying. And then suddenly it was over.

“I want to go to bed.” she croaked, finally raising her head and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Derek just smiled softly, using the hand towel to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“Ok, I’ll meet you up there.”

Lydia nodded in response and slowly pushed herself to her feet. Derek made his way to the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water out of the fridge. He caught up to her before she had managed to go up three steps, her legs and arms still weak from all the vomiting. “Ok, let’s go.” He lifted her again, noticing for the first time just how tiny she really was. “Where’s your bedroom?”

Lydia pointed down the hall, but by the time Derek placed her on her bed, she’d fallen asleep. Sighing yet again, he pulled her heels off her feet, marveling at just how small the shoes were. After pulling her quilt up over her body and placing the water bottles on her bedside table, Derek glanced around the room. Spotting an easy chair (covered in clothes) in the corner, he sunk into it, not daring to leave her alone. He turned on the TV, and after finding the Hunting/Fishing channel, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

 

\------------

Lydia groaned, not even sure if she wanted to open her eyes. She felt like she’d been hit by a train, then pushed off a cliff into the ocean and then washed up on the beach and baked in the sun. It was _that_ bad. So instead she just laid there, pressing a clammy hand to her forehead, and letting her memories of last night come back to her.

“I hate my life.” She grumbled, the vision of Jackson’s head snapping back with the impact of Derek’s fist the last thing she could remember. Forcing her eyes open, Lydia sat up, frowning groggily at the two half drunk water bottles on her night stand. Drunk Lydia was never forward thinking enough to grab water. Shrugging, she helped herself, the water soothing her sore throat. Realizing she was still in her skirt and blouse from last night (Drunk Lydia usually slept naked), she glanced around her room, gasping when her eyes landed on Derek Hale, passed out in her arm chair. “Oh God.” She considered going back to sleep, and hoping that maybe he'd be gone when she woke up.

Not that she didn’t like seeing him. In fact, she was trying to tamp down the bubble of excitement that just seeing the big oaf caused to float up through her hangover. It didn't help that she had a… _thing_ for knights in tarnished armor, which Derek Hale had definitely proved himself to be last night. So instead of going back to sleep, she stared at him. His dark hair looked soft, and it was sticking up like he’d run his fingers through it repeatedly. His dark lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, and his lips were parted slightly as he breathed. Even with her headache and sore body, Lydia considered what would happen if she went and curled up on his lap. The idea was sounding better and better, and then he stirred in his sleep.

It was almost beautiful, watching Derek Hale wake up. His eyes fluttered open, giving her a glimpse of the green depths before he rubbed at them. His back cracked and biceps flexed and t-shirt rode up showing his abs when he stretched, and Lydia was sure her mouth would’ve gone dry if it already wasn’t the frickin Sahara Desert.

“Hey, how you feelin’?” Even his goddamn voice sounded perfect in the morning. _FML_. Lydia thought for a moment, watching warily as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Like shit,” she chuckled grimly, surprised at the slight smile on Derek’s face. His eyes focused on her left arm, the smile melting into a dark scowl. Frowning, Lydia followed his gaze, staring in horror at the purple hand-shaped bruise circling her upper arm.

“One day,” Derek growled, his eyes flashing. “We are going to have a serious talk about Jackson.” He sighed and shook his head. “Today is not the day.” Lydia watched silently as he stood again, his large framing seemed to fill her bedroom. “I gotta get to the lumberyard.” He shot his usual smirk at her over his shoulder. “Try not to do anything stupid.” Lydia stuck her tongue out at him as he strode out of her bedroom, steadfastly ignoring the little voice in the back of her head begging for him to stay.

\-----

When Lydia got to the lumberyard on Monday morning, she was nervous. Over the weekend, she couldn’t stop thinking about Derek. And it wasn't just about how hot he was. He had taken care of her, protected her, and stood up for her. Those were qualities one usually only found in their closest friends... So she’d made him cookies. Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in fact. And she was currently stomping down towards his office with a plate full, prepared to give him a speech about how she wanted to be his _friend_.

She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed to find his office empty. Picking up the infamous pack of sticky notes, she wrote FRIENDS? in large letters. After considering it for a moment, she added a ‘PS - Thank You’ in smaller script at the bottom. Sticking the note onto the syran wrap covered cookies, she made her way back up to the store.  

Lydia was antsy, pacing in front of the windows, waiting for Derek to come back from the delivery he'd gone on. She was wringing her hands, even debating running down to his office and taking the cookies back when he finally pulled into the yard. Feeling slightly stalkerish, she watched him climb out of the truck, then stand and talk to one of the guys down in the yard.

"What is the matter with you darlin'?" Cheryl inquired, raising an eyebrow at Lydia from her desk.

"What do you mean?" Lydia's voice came out higher pitched than normal. When Cheryl simply raised both her brows, Lydia looked down at herself. Her bare legs were twisting around each other, the hem of her skirt bunched up in one hand and the sleeve of her shirt curled in the other. "I'm fine," she laughed nervously, smoothing out her clothes.

"Mhmm," Cheryl obviously didn't believe her, but she was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Hey sugar!" She drawled, her eyes focused on Lydia while she held the phone to her ear. "Sure thang, I'll send her right down." Lydia blanched and then blushed as a grin spread across Cheryl's face. “Mr. Hale would like to see you…”

“Who do you think he is? Christian Grey or something?” Lydia grumbled, trying not to show how eager she was to see Derek.

“Well now that you mention it…” Cheryl waggled her eyebrows as Lydia neared her desk. “I won't be able to get _that_ image out of my head!” She sighed and leaned back in her chair, an utterly creepy (in Lydia’s opinion) smile on her face. With an epic eye roll Lydia pushed the door open, squinting into the summer heat. “Say hi to Mr. Grey for me hun.” Cheryl called after her.

“That woman is out of control,” Lydia muttered under her breath as she headed towards the warehouse. It was hot out, way to hot to be wearing a long sleeve shirt, but she wasn’t exactly proud to show off the giant bruise on her arm. She didn’t know what had gotten into Jackson. He had never hurt her in the past. Yes, he was very possessive, even though they weren’t actually together, and he could be pushy when it came to sex but… Maybe he felt threatened by Derek. Or maybe he was just overly intoxicated. Either way, Lydia was in no rush to see him anytime soon.

Taking a deep breath she pushed the door to Derek’s office open, sighing when a wave of A/C washed over her.

“Hey,” she smiled at Derek, who was seated behind his desk, eyeing the plate of cookies.

“Hey.” He grunted. Lydia cocked her head, studying him for a moment. He looked… confused maybe.

‘What’s up?” she asked, crossing her arms before dropping into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“Did you make these?” he asked finally, nodding towards the cookies. Lydia just nodded, trying not to smirk at him too much (she was trying to be his friend afterall). “Are they good?”

“No, they taste like shit, you better give ‘em back to me,” she snapped, unable to stop herself and slightly surprised to see a grin spread across Derek’s face.

“That’s better,” he said happily, peeling back the plastic wrap and shoving an entire cookie in his mouth.

“What does that even mean?” Lydia sighed, giving in and grabbing a cookie for herself.

“It means,” Derek swallowed the chewed up cookie. “That I like it better when you don’t take my shit. That’s what friendships are supposed to be like.”

Lydia couldn’t help but smile at him, glad that he was open to this idea.

“Thank you, by the way,” she said quietly, suddenly slightly embarrassed. “For um, well everything the other night.”

“Oh you mean like punching your boyfriend in the face, carting your drunk ass around, and holding your hair while you puked?”

Lydia cringed, overcome with the now familiar sensation of her cheeks burning.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she grumbled, taking a chance and glancing up at Derek’s all too handsome face. “I don’t even think he’s my friend anymore.” A dark look flickered across Derek’s features before he replaced it with concern, coming around the front of the desk to stand in front of her.

“How’s your arm?” He asked softly. Not waiting for an answer, he held her arm gently, pushing the loose sleeve of her shirt up to her shoulder. Lydia found herself gazing at him, his face so close to hers as he softly traced her bruise with his fingers. His eyes were definitely a pale green, with light brown around the pupils. They were beautiful.

“I really do want to be your friend Derek.” she whispered, fighting the urge to reach up and rest her free hand on the back of his neck. “Like real friends. Not just work friends.” Derek’s mouth quirked up in the corners, making her heart skip a beat.

“And what exactly does that mean?” he asked, eyes full of humor as he raised a (perfect) brow.

“I dunno, just being there for each other I guess….” Lydia felt awkward now, unable to explain to him that she had this deep seated need to spend as much time in his presence as possible.

“This really is more than guilt isn’t it?” Derek asked. He released her arm and leaned back, crossing his arms loosely across his chest. “You _actually_ do like me. Don’t you?” Lydia scrunched her nose and pinched her lips, trying to keep the bright blush from covering her entire face.

“Yeah, I do. Alright?” She growled, trying to glare up at him. “But you’ve got to stop saying it like that! It’s weird.” Derek threw his head back and laughed, a contagious deep belly rumble that had Lydia smiling again.

“Okay fine, I’ll even pinky swear.” He said through his chuckles, holding his pinky finger towards her.

“Pinky swear? Really?” Lydia raised her brows, even as she curled her own, much smaller, pinky around his.

“Pinky Swears are law, dude,” Derek replied. “I’m serious, that’s rule number eleven by the way.” Not sure she even remembered what rule number ten was, Lydia just rolled her eyes and leaned around Derek for another cookie. “Hey, I thought there was a rule about touching other people’s food.” He growled, pushing the plate out of her reach.

“Sharing is caring!” she responded brightly, grinning when her fingers finally closed around another cookie. “And you were eating my lunch the other day out of spite. That’s why I made the rule.”

“So what you’re saying is, I can’t eat your food but you can eat mine?” She noticed that his eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled.

“Pretty much,” she grinned at him, watching as he shook his head slightly before helping himself to another cookie.

Lydia was content, sitting there in his office, eating cookies and trading insults. It was almost like a part of her life had clicked into place, like a puzzle piece. For once, she had a good feeling about this.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't post yesterday... my kittens were driving me crazy and I went to pick out a new car (!!!). But thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	14. Rule #12: You Can't Run From The Cops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspired by the song: Cop Car - Keith Urban

A week had passed since Lydia and Derek had sealed their friendship with cookies and pinky swears, and Lydia couldn’t be happier. Not much had really changed, except that now she knew that Derek didn't actually hate her, and they only purposely irritated each other to a certain extent. Charlie had just dismissed Lydia from a ‘status update’ meeting, in which he very uncomfortably put her on the spot and asked if she’d decided to take over CM Lumber yet. Lydia had hemmed and hawed, and basically tried her best not to give her father any type of definitive answer in either direction, while Derek looked on with a slight smirk.

The problem was that Lydia was becoming attached to the place, to the company, to the people that worked there. Derek had been teaching her about the different kinds of lumber and what they’re used for, Jordan had taken her out on a couple of deliveries with him, and with Cheryl’s help she’d mastered the computer system they used for invoicing and payroll. Charlie had even brought her with him when he went to visit a sawmill, and allowed her to negotiate prices for him. And she was loving it.

It shouldn’t be a problem then, but Lydia was wrestling with giving up her dream of going into the field of biomedicine. She didn’t want to just drop something she’d planned on for so long. So now she was tortured with it, going back and forth inside her head trying to make a decision. Leaning her elbows on the counter, she flipped the page in Cosmo magazine, trying to distract herself by reading about ‘Ten Ways To Make Your Guy Drool’ (As if she wasn’t already an expert).

The bell on the door jingled, and she glanced up with a smile, ready to greet the customer. At the sight of Jackson, his cheek still a faded purple, staring at her from the doorway,her smile faded. Her heart slamming against her rib cage, slight panic creeping through her veins. This could not be good.

“We need to talk.” Jackson said finally, his tone deadly.

“Yeah we do.” Lydia replied firmly, flipping her magazine closed and standing up straighter. “You first.”

“Can't we go outside?” Jackson asked, jerking his head towards the door. Lydia shook her head. There was no way in hell she was going anywhere alone with him. "Ok. Fine." He stepped closer, standing about a foot away from the counter. "Listen, we were both really drunk the other night, and I just, I was hoping we could just forget about it? Let's go for a ride or something."

"No," Lydia hissed, crossing her arms defensively. "Being drunk is no excuse for this." She turned slightly so he could see the now yellow bruise on her arm. "We're done Jackson. I can't even think about being around you right now."

"Lydia, Lydia," he chuckled darkly, leaning over the counter towards her. "You seem to be forgetting that you're never gonna do better than me."

"Fuck you Jackson," she hissed, fighting to keep her voice down. "Just get out."

"What are you gonna do about it?" He smirked, his hand coming up to grip her chin tightly. "I own you. And you don't even have your reformed juvenile delinquent here to protect you." Jackson planted a kiss on her neck.

"Get off me!" Lydia shoved at his chest, glaring angrily at him."What is the matter with you?"

"Don't you know you're _my_ girl?" He snarled, reaching for her wrist. "Let's go, I can't think in this fucking shit hole."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Lydia growled, yanking her wrist back. Jackson had gone white, and was staring at something over her shoulder.

"What the hell is going on here?" Lydia had only ever heard her dad use that tone once before, when he'd walked in on Mark Thomas beating up Stiles because he liked boys.

"Dad," she kept her voice calm as she turned towards him. "I need to go home." She grabbed her purse from under the counter and glanced at Derek, who was bristling behind her father’s back.

"Derek, go with her." Charlie ordered, his steely blue eyes fixed on Jackson. “You and me are going to have a talk.”  

Derek’s hand was warm on the small of her back as he pushed her gently towards the door. Holding her head high, Lydia allowed him to guide her out into the parking lot, not daring to give Jackson another look. For once, she was glad to let her father take care of things.

\-------------

Jackson was lucky. He was lucky that Charlie was there. He was lucky that Lydia was there. And he was lucky that he wasn’t alone with Derek because all Derek wanted to do was beat him to a pulp. _Nobody_ has the right to treat anyone the way he treated Lydia.

Instead he tried to focus on Lydia, only slightly concerned that she looked more angry than upset. Just kidding, he was proud. Hell, if Charlie wasn't there Derek would’ve made sure she punched the asshole a couple of times. She probably would’ve bruised her knuckles, but she would’ve felt better. Derek guided her out to his truck, opening the passenger door for her and glaring towards the shop while she climbed in. Wordlessly he walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. They sat in silence for a few moments, the diesel engine the only sound.

“Where do you want me to take you?” Derek asked finally, his eyes focused on the side of her face. Lydia sighed and leaned back in the seat.

“Let’s just get out of here.” she murmured, her eyes fluttering closed. “Just drive.”

“Ten - four,” Derek smiled gently at her, putting the truck into gear and pulling out onto the main drag, heading for the town line. Lydia was quiet, one arm hanging out the window, the other folded on the center console as she stared out the windshield. She wasn’t crying (which let’s be honest, crying girls are scary), she simply looked pensive, and maybe a little angry. Derek took this as a sign to keep driving.

She didn’t say anything when Derek pulled up in front of a gate with a No Trespassing sign on it. She just watched him (with a little smirk of course) as he climbed out of the truck and pushed the gate open.

“Shouldn’t that have been locked?” She asked as they drove through, her eyes narrowed slightly. Derek chuckled.

“Hasn’t been locked in years.”

“And just how do you know that?” Lydia was smiling slightly now, twisting in her seat and facing him.

“Because I’m a rebel child Red, get with the program.” He grinned, glad to see her spirits lifting a little bit. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at him, obviously unimpressed. Derek knew that was going to change as he backed his truck into the usual spot. "Come on Red." He winked at her and hopped out of the truck, walking around to the back and letting the tailgate down.

“Where are we?” Lydia asked. Derek didn’t answer, just waited, listening as she closed the door and the walked towards the back. “Oh…” she breathed, walking past the truck and to the edge of the cliff. “I always wondered how to get up here…” She said quietly, glancing at him over her shoulder with a smile.

Derek smiled back, trying to memorize the scene before him. Lydia was silhouetted by the sun setting over the lake, the water lapping against the rock ledge fifty feet below them. As a teenager Derek had spent a lot of time up here; cliff diving with Jordan, drinking with his other buddies, watching the sunset with Paige. It’s been a while since he’d been back, since he’d decided that trespassing wasn’t always the best idea. But it was beautiful, and Lydia needed it. There was nothing a sunset on the lake couldn’t fix.

“This is amazing Derek,” Lydia had walked back to him, and jumped rather gracefully up onto the tailgate beside him.

“Yeah it is, isn’t it?” He murmured, eyes fixed on the red, orange and purple water color sky. He felt Lydia’s cheek press against his arm as she leaned into him. “Come here.” He whispered, wrapping his arm around her so that she could lean against his chest.

“What do you think my dad said to Jackson?” she asked after a few moments, the warmth of her breath seeping through his t-shirt.

“I don’t know honestly,” Derek answered quietly, rubbing his hand cautiously up and down her back. “I’d like to teach him a lesson or two, but I am sure your father handled it much better.” Lydia was quiet for a moment, her hand fisting where it rested on his thigh.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into Jackson lately… he’s so… angry.” she whispered, uncurling her fist and pressing her palm against his leg. Derek gulped, trying to ignore the way his body was reacting to her touch.

“I don’t like him.” He growled, staring at the ripples on the lake, trying to tamp down his anger. He was surprised when Lydia giggled, her arms wrapping around him.

"Thanks Derek," she murmured into his chest. "For taking me out here.... It's really sweet of you." He smiled, even though she couldn't see, and allowed himself to run his fingers through her hair.

"Anytime Red," he chuckled, "Anytime." The sound of a car approaching had him twisting to look over his shoulder. "Ah fuck." He groaned, the site of a Beacon Hills police cruiser blocking the path out sending a trickle of dread down his spine.

"What's the matter?" Lydia asked, her arms falling from his body as she too turned around. "You've got to be kidding me." She hissed, eyes narrowing, the blue lights reflecting in them.

 

"Ma'am, sir, this is private property," a young officer was walking towards them, one Derek didn't recognize. "I need to ask you to leave."

"Seriously Brett?" Lydia jumped off the tailgate, her expression frightening even Derek.

"It's Officer Talbot to you," the kid growled, causing Derek's shoulders to tense. He didn't like this one bit.

"Come on Lyd, let's go." He said quietly, hoping off the tailgate and resting his hand on her shoulder.

"No. I don't want to." She said firmly, her glare still fixed on Brett. "You know there's no real reason we have to leave." Brett puffed up his chest, and Derek shook his head. This was not going to end well. Charlie was going to kill him. Probably multiple times.

"Except that this is _private property_!" Talbot argued, his hands on his hips.

"And what are you gonna do about it Brett?" Lydia mimicked his pose. "Make us leave?" Brett glowered at them for a moment, his gears turning almost visibly in his head.

"You're under arrest!" He announced, patting his pockets. “Put your hands in the air and don’t move!”

“You can’t arrest us!” Lydia argued, of course refusing to put her hands up. “What are you charging me with?” Brett didn’t answer her so she turned to Derek. “We should run.” she whispered, eyes lighting up at the idea. Derek shook his head. “Come on Hale! We’d be legends!”

“First off, I already am a legend,” he whispered back, grinning when she rolled her eyes. “And secondly, you can’t run from the cops. That’s rule number 12.”

“Even if they’re punky little assholes?”

“I heard that!” Officer Talbot had reappeared, and was in the process of rather roughly cuffing Lydia’s wrists behind her back. Derek growled lowly in the back of his throat, and Talbot glanced at him nervously. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He apologized to Lydia, who tossed her hair and huffed.

“I’m gonna hurt you once you set me free Brett,” she hissed.

“Lydiaaaaa,” Derek groaned, closing his eyes as Talbot tightened the cuffs on his wrists.

“Is this payback for when we were kids?” Lydia continued, choosing to ignore Derek’s warning. “If you’re still mad about me and your sister tying you up, arresting me is not the way to handle it.”

“Let’s go,” Talbot ordered, pushing the both of them towards his car and into the backseat. “Sit down and shut up. I need to call this in.”

Derek tried not to laugh as Lydia struggled to get in with her hands behind her back, almost hitting her head on the door, her skirt getting all twisted around her as she hopped across the seat. He slid smoothly in beside her, he’d had more experience getting in and out of police cruisers than he’d like to admit. Talbot grabbed the CB radio and pulled it out through the window, putting the window up in an effort to keep Derek and Lydia from hearing.

“I’m so fucking pissed right now!” Lydia growled, her eyes flashing as she struggled to get comfortable. “I can't believe Brett is arresting me! He can’t do this. I know my rights! He didn’t even read us our Miranda Rights. I’m gonna sue him. I’m gonna-”

“Lydia,” Derek chuckled, “Calm down. He’s going to let us go. And seeing as one of your best friends is the police chief's son, I think you might be alright.”

“How do you know that?” she huffed, her eyes narrowed at him.

“While you were busy getting drunk and hanging all over the douchebag of the year, I was making new friends.” Derek smiled smugly at her, glad to see a little apprehension mixed in with her anger. But she distracted by Talbot opening the driver’s door.

“Hey! I’m thirsty! Can you get me a drink?” she whined, a mischievous look on her face. “This is police brutality, I’m gonna report you to internal affairs!’ Talbot didn’t dignify her a response, just rolled his eyes and closed the door again.

Then Derek felt it. Something shifted inside of him, or broke maybe, like a dam. He was falling for her, hard. It’d been years since he’d been emotionally invested in a woman, and all of a sudden, he realized that he cared a whole lot more about Lydia Martin than he’d ever planned. And it was more than just how pretty she was, how physically attractive. She was funny, she was smart, she was unbelievably driven. She didn’t take shit from anyone, she was born to argue, and she always had to be right. But he wanted to know more. He wanted to know who her best friend was when she was five, her favorite flavor of ice cream, the song she listened to when she was sad. He wanted to know her favorite color, who her grandparents were, the things she fell asleep at night thinking about, and what she envisioned as her future. But most of all, he wanted to know if she wanted to know the same things about him.

“I can’t believe I am handcuffed in the back of a cop car right now.” Lydia said, her voice pulling Derek from his thoughts. She was staring up at him, her expression looking like she’d just figured out the seriousness of the situation.

“Your dad is gonna kill me.” Derek whispered, praying silently to the heavens that Charlie Martin would never find out about this. And then Lydia started to giggle, which made him chuckle, which in turn sent them both into full on laughter. It didn’t take long for tears to start rolling down Lydia’s cheeks, snorts coming out of her nose, only sending Derek into louder laughter.

They were both leaning against each other, giggling quietly, when Talbot opened the door beside Derek.

“You guys are free to go,” he grumbled, looking slightly abashed and definitely annoyed. Derek tried not to grin at him as he climbed out of the back seat, sighing with relief when he was released from the cuffs. “You’re awful lucky that Stilinski likes you so much Lydia.” Talbot added as Derek helped her out of the car.

“You didn’t even have any reason to arrest me Brett,” she hissed, rubbing at her wrists once they were free.

“Just get out of here,” Brett waved at them. “No trespassing!” Unable to hold back his smile any more, Derek ushered Lydia to the truck. He waited until she got in before walking around the back and closing the tailgate, sending one last look over the now dark lake. Maybe, just maybe, he would bring Lydia out here again. Only the next time, he’d want to do something other than get shoved in the back of a cop car. Like stare at the stars. Or make-out. A lot. For hours. Naked.

Trying to push _that_ thought out of his head, Derek jumped behind the wheel, the engine roaring to life beneath the hood.

“We should do this more often.” Lydia said once they’d turned back onto the main road.

“What, get arrested?’ Derek asked, raising a brow. Lydia rolled her eyes before smiling brightly.

“No! Hanging out!” she patted his arm. “You’re fun to be around.” And then she turned forwards again, her legs crossing and arms folding, leaving Derek to glance repeatedly at the creamy skin of her bare thighs. He sighed, forcing himself to focus on the road lit by his bright headlights. He was in way over his head. Way, way over his head. But god dammit, he liked it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	15. Rule #13: We Hang Out on Friday Nights

It had been two weeks since Lydia had found herself in handcuffs for the first time, and she was still thanking God that her parents had not yet found out about it. Which only meant that neither of them had run into Officer Stilinski. It would only be a matter of time.

Lydia was curled up on the couch, dressed in only a camisole and a pair of panties, marathoning The Big Bang Theory and spooning ice cream into her mouth straight out of the container. August was upon them, and in typical New England fashion, it was sweltering hot with off the charts humidity. Charlie and Natalie had left that morning for the Cape, and wouldn’t be back for two weeks (although her dad had assured both her and Derek when he stopped by the shop that he was only a phone call away if they needed him to come back). So Lydia was enjoying her private Friday night, completely content to be by herself for once.

She didn’t exactly have much choice. Allison was working, Kira was on vacation with her family, Malia was probably lurking at the bar, since she had taken up stalking Jordan (who was predictably at the bar with Derek). Stiles was hosting video game night at his place, so all the boys were there (he’d invited Lydia, but told her she couldn’t beat them all _every_ time, so she’d have to tone it down a notch). But she’d turned him down, not exactly in the mood to hang out with a bunch of rowdy boys after spending her work day doing the same thing. No, she’d much rather laugh at Sheldon Cooper (while understanding the scientific concepts they spoke about) and eat ice cream than deal with people.

So when her phone started to ring on the coffee table, she glared at Derek’s name, not pleased at the interruption. She considered ignoring him, letting it go to voice mail, but Derek _never_ called her. He texted. Plus, there was always Rule #3 to consider.

“Derek,” she growled into the phone, grimacing at the loud laughter and music coming from his end.

“Lydiaaaaa!” he sang, sounding happier than she’d EVER heard him.

“Are you drunk?” she asked, grinning into the phone. There was a whole lot of high quality blackmail material coming her way.

“No!” he scoffed, then giggled. “You should come down here!” Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Why?”

“‘Cause…. um… it’s a rule! You have to come!” He insisted, sounding way too pleased with himself for actually coming up with a reason.

“What rule number is it?” Lydia asked, twisting a lock of hair around her finger.

“Um…. it’s number get your pretty little ass down-” his voice was cut off and replaced with the sounds of the bar mixed with arguing.

“Lydia?” Jordan’s voice came through the phone.

“Hey J,” she laughed, “Is Hale ok?” Jordan laughed loudly (maybe he was a little drunk too).

“No, he’s definitely _not_ ok.” he laughed some more. “But he won’t shut up about you, so I’d really appreciate it if you came down here.”

“Ughhhh guys!” Lydia whined. “I’m busy!”

“You’re not busy.” Jordan countered. “Plus, you’re missing out on prime material for torturing Derek with later.”

“Alright fine,” Lydia grumbled. “But I’m only coming so that I can make fun of him.”

“Yeah, ok,” Jordan chuckled, the phone going dead in her ear.

“Rude.” Lydia mumbled to herself. She stomped up the stairs, pulling her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. “Men.” She pulled on a pair of jean shorts. “Suck.” Tossing her cami into the corner, she yanked on a bra and a white t-shirt. Not even bothering to look in a mirror, she stormed out of the house, forcing herself to be a disgruntled as possible. She would never admit (to herself even) that she was anything other than annoyed with the events of this night thus far.

 

Lydia didn’t care that she probably looked like a hot mess with her cut offs and t-shirt and a pair of Nikes on her feet. Derek and Jordan were probably too drunk to make fun of her anyways. Ignoring the leering looks of the local drunks, she pushed towards the bar, bee lining towards Derek and Jordan's familiar backs.

"Red!" Derek cheered when he spotted her, his eyes wild as he reached for her.

"Derek," she grumbled, allowing him to pull her up onto his lap.

"I missed you," he sighed, burying his face in her neck.

"I see that," Lydia patted his head gently, raising her eyebrow at Jordan. "What's gotten into him?" Jordan just shrugged and sipped at his beer. Rolling her eyes Lydia hooked an arm around Derek's shoulders, anchoring herself to him.

"So you must be Lydia..." A dark haired woman leaned across the bar, her light green eyes eerily familiar.

"And you must be Laura," Lydia smiled, reaching her free hand across the bar for Laura to shake. "I've heard a lot about you, from Derek and Alllie." Lydia blew a kiss towards her friend, who was mixing what looked like a pitcher of sangria at the other end of the bar.

“Lydia!” Derek lifted his head and whispered her name (loudly of course). She looked down at him a moment, trying not to think about how cute he looked. Which was weird. Because Derek wasn’t usually cute. Hot definitely, but cute…

“Yes dear?” she asked, smiling gently.

“You have t’elp me…” he whispered, eyes wide as they darted around the bar. “Just…. you’re my girlfriend…” With a sigh he leaned his head on her shoulder. “Mmm kay?” Lydia narrowed her eyes at Jordan, who was grinning at her over Derek’s head.

“Ok, what’s the deal?”

“Don’t look now, but there’s a table of older women that Allison is bringing sangria too,” Laura spoke before Jordan could, her expression neutral, but her eyes full of glee. “They’ve been hitting on these two dumbasses all night.” She started to giggle when Lydia grinned. She had definitely gotten more blackmail material than she’d bargained for. “And my idiot of a brother decided to freak out instead of taking it as a compliment, get out of control drunk, tell them he has a girlfriend, and then proceeded to call you up and beg you to come down here.” At this point Lydia started to giggle, her movements causing Derek to lift his head and smile lazily at her.

“You’re purty when you laugh Red,” he said, removing one arm from her to reach for a beer on the bar. Lydia flushed, unused to any compliments from Derek at all. He was drunk, but still. Laura and Jordan exchanged glances before Laura slid a glass of water into Derek’s outstretched hand.

“You’ve had enough beer for one night Der,” she said, her eyes suddenly cautious. Lydia frowned, confused as to why both Laura and Jordan looked almost nervous.

“Ohhh kay!” Derek almost sang, taking the glass and gulping the whole thing down. “I need to go take a piss.” he announced. Lydia pried herself from his grasp and hopped down, staring after him as he tipsily made his way towards the bathrooms.

“Alright,” she slid onto Derek’s vacated stool. “Why are you two acting like he’s a bomb about to go off?”

“Because that’s exactly what he is,” Laura whispered, her eyes fixed on the bathrooms.

“There’s a reason he usually only has a beer or two, and it’s the same reason that he used to get into so much trouble, and the reason why I asked you to come down here…” Jordan added, his expression solemn. “He flies off the handle when he’s drunk, in fact, he’s one of those angry drinkers, he usually gets more and more worked up the more he drinks.”

“He seemed pretty happy to me…” Lydia said, spinning the empty water glass between her hands. Laura and Jordan shared another look, this time both smirking.

“Well that’s only because he’s been talking about you the whooooole time.” Laura winked at her, before getting called to the other end of the bar. Jordan was grinning widely at Lydia, looking all too pleased with himself.

“Quit looking at me like that!” she hissed, pinching his arm. “You’re annoying me!”

“Well hearing everything Derek knows about you over and over is annoying me,” Jordan replied smugly, taking another sip of his beer.

“You’re probably over exaggerating.” Lydia grumbled, smiling in thanks when Allison came over and handed her a glass of soda (she wasn't twenty one yet after all).

“No, he’s definitely not exaggerating.” Allison added, biting her lip to hold in a smile. “It’s sickening really.”

Lydia opened her mouth to retort, only to be cut off by strong arms wrapping around her from behind.

“I like your hair like this,” Derek mumbled, his stubbled cheek scraping against hers. “It makes me wanna ki-” Lydia quickly placed her hand over his mouth, muffling the words spilling out of him.

“Why don’t I bring you home sweetie?” She asked, choosing to ignore the irritating looks on everyone’s faces as she leaned back against his chest.

“Mmmm kay,” he sighed. “I’m sleepy.” She felt his arms relax around her, and she found herself fighting the urge to close her eyes and snuggle against him.

“Alright,” she sent a glare in Jordan’s direction. “Let’s go.” Pulling his hands away from her, she slid off the stool. “Does he have a tab he needs to pay?” She asked Jordan, who shook his head. “Are you ok to drive? Do you need a ride?”

“Naw, I’m good Lyds,” he grinned. “You have fun with Mr. Hale now.” Lydia flipped him off and slapped a five dollar bill down on the counter to pay for her soda. “I can’t wait to tell Cheryl about this on Monday.” Jordan continued, his smile giving away to chuckles.

“Bye.” Lydia snarled, wrapping her arm around Derek’s waist and guiding him out of the bar, and into the passenger seat of her car.

 

“Derek, you’re gonna have to tell me how to get to your house.” Lydia said as she started her car. “I’ve never been there before.”

“I don’t wanna go home,” he pouted, “I wanna stay wiff you!” Trying to ignore the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach, Lydia sighed.

“Derek…”

“Pleeeaaasseeee,” he whined, making his eyes all big and batting his lashes.

“Oh for God’s sake,” Lydia grumbled, putting the car in drive and heading towards her house. “I can't wait to torture you with all of this stuff once you’re sober.”

“You have a cute nose.” Derek giggled, reaching out a finger and poking at her nose. “It’s like… a _baby_ nose!” She raised her eyebrows at him, smirking when a sudden awareness washed over his face. “I’m _really_ drunk… aren’t I?” He giggled to himself.

“Yes, you are. And you are going to be hurting in the morning.” Lydia replied, trying her hardest not to laugh at him.

“But I got to see you! So that’s worth it.” He sounded so sincere, so honest in his drunken state, Lydia almost couldn’t bear it.

“What was the new rule again?” she asked, hoping to distract him from confessing all sorts of feelings that she didn't necessarily want to know about.

“Ummmmmmmm…. we always have to hang out on Friday nights.” Derek smiled at her, obviously pleased with his answer.

“Oh really?” Lydia shook her head, not ready to admit to herself that the idea was sounding better and better by the second. Derek didn’t answer, he was just staring at her, his eyes glassy.

When they got to Lydia’s house, Derek barged on in as if he owned the place, making his way up the stairs without any direction. Lydia followed cautiously, slightly bemused as he pushed open the door of her room and started to undress.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, her eyes trained on him as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it at her.

“I’m going to bed silly goose!” he giggled, unbuttoning his jeans and pushing them down to the floor. Lydia gulped, purposefully staring at the ceiling and trying her damnedest not to care that the single most physically appealing man she’d ever met was currently standing in her bedroom wearing just black boxer briefs. _Damn it, damn it, damn it._

“Okay, well um I’ll be down the hall,” she stuttered, turning quickly on her heel and trying to escape this wet dream come to life.

“No!” Derek’s hand grasped hers, tugging her back towards him. “Don’t leave me Red.” He sounded so sad, so broken, that Lydia couldn’t help but turn around. Which of course only led to her giving in to his pout and big green eyes.

“Alright, alright.” she grumbled, kicking off her sneakers, but not daring to change out of her clothes. _That_ would be asking for it. With a grin Derek climbed into her bed, patting the sheets beside him until she followed suit. Before she could protest he’d wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up against his chest and nuzzling his face into her hair.

“That’s better,” he sighed, the warmth of his large hands seeping through her t-shirt. “Sweet dreams Red.”

“Sweet dreams Derek.” she whispered, the sound of his steady heartbeat already lulling her to sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ew sorry, I meant to post early but I just couldn't finish this chapter... I don't know why, but I find Derek being one of those really happy, bubbly drunks to be very amusing. Anyways, enjoy! And thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	16. Rule #14: We Always Need A Plan

Derek felt himself waking up, but he refused to open his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept so soundly. Although now that he thought about it, he was really, really cold right now. He shifted slightly, realizing that he didn’t have any blankets covering him, but he was indeed in bed. Blindly he reached for his blankets, freezing when his hand came in contact with a quilt covered body.

His eyes popped open to find a mess of red hair on the pillow next to his, connected to what he only guessed to be Lydia’s perfect little body. _Good Lord_. He laid there staring at her as bits and pieces of last night’s activities came back to him. He could remember going to the bar with Jordan, remembered the newly divorced Ms. Marcus flirting with him, remembered taking shots of whiskey… And then it was gone.

He focused on the clock on Lydia’s bedside table. Seven fifteen… _Seven fifteen!_

“Fuck!” He hissed, sitting up abruptly. His movements woke Lydia, but he didn’t have time to focus on how completely adorable she was with bed head. Instead he tried to roll over her, scrambling off the bed and towards his pants. _Why is my shirt on the other side of the room?_

“How are you even alive right now?” Lydia grumbled, pushing herself up on her elbows. Derek frowned at her, maybe more than a little happy that there was a faint blush crawling up her neck as she stared at his bare chest.

“What do you mean?”

“You were like super sloppy drunk last night,” she smirked. “Do you really not remember?” Derek shook his head.

“I need to go to the yard,” he grumbled, pulling his t-shirt over his head. “I was supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago.” Lydia was still smirking at him. “I’ll um, yeah, see you later.” Feeling incredibly awkward (like did they have sex? What happened last night? How did he end up with Lydia?) he turned on his heel and headed for the door. The sound of Lydia’s loud laughter had him pausing in the hallway and turning around. When he got back to her room she was out of bed, stretching her hands over her head, her smooth stomach exposed. And she was wearing cut off shorts. _God Dammit._

“I hope that’s not how you treat your one night stands,” she grinned at him, looking impossibly beautiful for someone who’d just crawled out of bed.

“Why are you laughing at me?” Derek growled, choosing to ignore her question as well as the feelings bubbling up inside of him.

"I'm interested to know how you think you're gonna get to the yard..." She smiled coyly at him, slipping her feet into a pair of white and blue nikes.

"I'm gonna drive obviously," he grumbled, turning back towards the door. "What kind of outfit are you wearing anyways?" He cringed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. That did not come out right.

"This is my watching the Big Bang Theory and eating ice cream in my underwear on a Friday night," she answered cheerily enough, following him down the stairs. "And then my annoying friend calls me drunk and begs me to go hang out with him at a bar outfit."

"Oh." Derek responded, frowning when Lydia grabbed her keys and pushed him towards the door. "Where's my truck?"

Lydia laughed and pressed the keys to her car into his hand.

"I... How did you word it for me, 'carted your drunk ass' around last night." She pulled open the passenger door of the BMW. "Please be careful with my baby." Wordlessly, Derek climbed behind the wheel.

Lydia had her eyes on him the whole time he drove, watching every move he made.

"Yo Red, why you giving me the stink eye?" He asked.

"I don't let people drive my car." She growled, seeming to forget that she was the one who handed him the keys.

"Why'd you give me your keys then?" He asked, raising a brow. "And I'm sure plenty of people have driven this car." She shook her head.

"No, just my dad." She half smiled at him. "And I trust you." Her words were simple, but they caused warmth to blossom through his chest, spreading all the way down to his toes. "Don't get all goofy now and start talking about how cute my nose is." She warned, her smile turning into a smirk. Derek frowned. She _did_ have a cute nose. But he'd never actually spoken the thoughts aloud... _Fuck my life._

When he pulled into the yard, a groan (which did not turn him on, no way) escaped from Lydia's lips.

"And Cheryl is here already!" She hissed, leaning her head back against the seat.

"Why do you care? Aren't you just gonna go home?" She shook her head as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"I'm supposed to work today too... I'm not driving back home."

Following her lead Derek climbed out of the car, both of them meeting in front of it and staring cautiously at the store.

“I’ll go in first, you come in after a few minutes.” Derek decided finally, stepping away from the car.

“Oh cause that won’t look suspicious at all,” Lydia hissed, ignoring his orders and stomping right up the steps behind him. “It’s not like we drove here separately.”

Derek glared at her as he pushed open the door.

“I’m sorry, I’m just not in the mood to be harassed-”

“Well, well, well… what do we have here?” Cheryl was seated smugly behind her desk, grinning at them, while Jordan (the traitor) was perched on the desk, swinging his legs gleefully. “Arriving late _and_ together…”

“And in last night’s clothes…” Jordan added, earning a glare from Derek. Lydia sighed beside him and continued towards the back, pulling an apron off the wall and putting it on.

“What are you doing here?” Derek growled at Jordan.

“Well… I went to your house to pick you up, since your truck is still at the bar… and lo and behold, you weren’t there!” Jordan was having way too much fun with this. “Which could only mean that you stayed at Lydia’s… so I decided to come and share this information with my good friend Miss Cheryl, and wait for you two to do your walk of shame!”

“It’s not a walk of shame you ass,” Lydia hissed, returning to Derek’s side, but carefully leaving a good six inches of space between them.

“Did you sleep in the same bed?” Cheryl asked, raising a brow skeptically.

“No.” Derek lied.

“Yes.” sighed Lydia. They exchanged glares, and Derek could feel his ears turning red. This was going well.

“Which is it kids?” Jordan smirked.

“He slept in my bed with me.” Lydia admitted, crossing her arms tightly. “But lest I remind you, he was extremely intoxicated, and he fell asleep right away. Nothing happened. Ok?”

“If you say so sweet pea,” Cheryl drawled. “But I have some… questions for you later.”

“Like what?” Lydia huffed. Derek felt himself start to tense up. This was not going to end well.

“Like… I’m not gonna say it right now!” Cheryl insisted, grin turning malicious.

“Okay, well, I’m going to try and get some work done,” Derek interrupted. “And Red, Rule number fourteen… we gotta plan our stories ahead of time… got it?”

Lydia nodded in agreement, and Derek had to stop himself from touching her (or kissing her, or dragging her with him) as he headed towards Charlie’s office.

“Okay, question number one - Jordan get out,” Derek could hear Cheryl already whispering loudly to Lydia. “Does he sleep with a shirt on?” Derek smirked to himself as he waited for Charlie’s computer to turn on.

“Oh my God! Cheryl!” Lydia groaned.

“I need answers sugar!” Cheryl insisted.

“No.” Lydia’s voice was barely audible. “He just stripped down to his underwear.” Derek wasn’t sure how to feel about that information. Maybe embarrassed? Maybe proud of himself?

“Oh lawd,” Cheryl moaned. She was probably fanning her face right now. “How was _that_?”

“I’m not talking about this right now,” Lydia hissed. “He can still hear us!” Derek grinned at the computer. What Lydia didn’t know, was that he would do _anything_ to know what she thought about him.

“Who cares?” Cheryl chuckled. “The man’s got to know what he looks like.” Lydia sighed loudly in response, and Derek found himself holding his breath. Waiting.

“Fine, fine…” Lydia’s voice had dropped considerably, but Derek scooted towards the door, straining to hear. “You know I’ve seen more than my fair share of half naked men…” At this Cheryl laughed again.

“Good looking ones at that!” the older woman added.

“Yeah well…” Lydia paused, and Derek could barely hear her over the hammering of his heart. “They were _nothing_ compared to Derek… he’s just like ughhh” she moaned. Derek felt his ears start to heat up, the flush undoubtedly spreading down his neck and up onto his cheeks. “And I was gonna sleep in my parents bed, because… well you know, I have no self control when it comes to hot guys, but he was so cute and drunk and begged me to stay, and cuddled me all close to him and…” she sighed. “It was just really nice. He’s a good guy.”

Frowning slightly Derek wheeled himself back behind Charlie’s desk. Things had started off so well, clearly Lydia found him attractive. But the way she’d ended it… _He’s a good guy_. That did not sound like she… even wanted to be anything more than friends. Not that he wanted that. Obviously. He was just curious. He didn’t care. What did it matter anyways. They were just like at a new level of friendship now where they could sleep platonically in the same bed.

Now fully scowling at the computer, Derek jabbed at the keyboard, working on some invoices for deliveries that needed to go out on Monday. _And now I’ve managed to piss myself off. Fucking awesome._ He was so busy glaring at the computer, that he didn’t notice Cheryl and Lydia watching him from the hallway, the former looking smug, the latter looking confused.

“What’s the matter with him?” Lydia whispered quietly, so only Cheryl could here.

“Take it from me sweetie,” Cheryl replied, for once actually keeping her voice down. “That boy’s got a crush on you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	17. Rule #15: The Rules Are Stupid (AKA Derek is A Jerk)

Lydia was irritated. That’s what she finally decided was the feeling that had her wanting to crawl out of her own skin. It was Friday again, and all week, Derek had been acting weird. Distant would be the best way to describe it. He was still friendly enough, but he wasn’t overly chatty, and he didn’t even do anything when she put Avril Lavigne on the radio to try and get a rise out of him. Having him be a total stick in the mud was twenty times worse than having him throw rules at her and getting all annoyed.

Cheryl had left after lunch, and the shop was dead, with just the angry typing of Derek in her father’s office, and Billy Joel singing about how only the good die young in the background. Lydia had been singing along, dancing up and down the aisles as she neatened the shelves. She had considered dragging Derek out here to dance with her, but had thought better of it, considering the sensitive subject of the song. So instead she took matters into her own hands and stomped back to her dad’s office.

“Hey!” she said cheerfully, flopping into one of the chairs and smiling at Derek. He was scowling at the computer, but still looking hella good in his light blue CM Lumber polo shirt (with sleeves that looked like they were going to rip open over his biceps at any moment).

“Sup?” he grumbled, eyes not leaving the screen. Lydia narrowed her eyes at him, totally not a fan of his attitude. It was like the last month, hell even the last almost two months of her working hadn’t even happened. She was back to square one.

“How are ya?” she asked, forcing herself to act normal. You never know, he could’ve just been having a bad day.

“Fine. Is there something you wanted?” He finally looked up from the computer, his grimace still in place, but his eyes full of… sadness maybe?

“Um,” she swallowed and stiffened her upper lip. _Why do I feel like I want to cry?_ “I was wondering what we’re doing tonight?”  Her voice came out shaky, embarrassingly so, and an octave higher than usual.

“What do you mean?” Derek’s expression was still somber, but his tone had softened. Maybe he felt a little bad for being a grade A dickhead.

“Rule number thirteen,” she whispered, her heart already dropping. “You said we always have to hang out on Friday nights.” Derek sighed and pushed a hand through his hair.

“Seeing as I don’t remember that one, I’m assuming I was drunk when it was created,” he grumbled, staring down at the keyboard.

“Yeah but-” Lydia tried to interrupt him, but he held up his hand.

“Those rules are stupid Lydia, you don’t need to worry about them.” She stared at him for a moment, feeling her heart break but not exactly sure why.

“Oh,” she responded softly. “Ok then.” she stood up quickly, needing to get away from him as fast as she could. “I um, I gotta call Allison.”

She swept out of the office, glad that she had worn her sneakers today, and he wouldn’t be able to hear her break into a run. In the far corner of the store she flopped down onto a stack of bags of mulch, pulling her knees to her chest. She allowed herself to break, tears running silently down her face. What the hell was the matter with him? He’d said the rules didn’t matter. He didn’t want to hang out with her. He’d called her Lydia instead of Red. And he was just… cold. She knew she shouldn’t care. It’s not like he was her boyfriend or anything. _But he is my friend. Was my friend._

Lydia had planned to invite him over to watch a movie and eat popcorn and ice cream and drink beer. She had considered what would happen if she asked him to stay the night. She’d even thought out ways to convince him that he should sleep in her bed with her again. Because she couldn’t forget the way he held her that night, how perfectly their bodies fit together, how big and warm he was. But all her plans had been destroyed. All because Derek was having a little bitch fit.

“I guess I’ll just get drunk alone.” she mumbled under her breath, forcing herself to stand up and walk to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, washing away her make-up and tears. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, attempting to convince herself that no one would be able to tell she was crying. Finally deciding that she didn’t give a shit, she headed back towards the front desk, only to run into Derek in the hallway.

“‘Scuse me,” she grumbled, trying to sidestep around him. She made the mistake of looking up at him, watching as guilt colored his features when he looked at her. Ducking her head she hurried towards the desk, not at all pleased when she heard him following her.

“I’ve got to head out,” he said, coming around the front of the desk and scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. “So just lock up at five.”

“Mmm kay,” Lydia hummed, filled with aching disappointment that he didn’t apologize like she thought he would. When he didn’t move, she chanced a glance up at him. Derek was staring at her, his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to find the words to say. Pulling out her inner bitch, Lydia raised an eyebrow. Bad choice.

Scowling again Derek turned away from her and stalked towards the door, slamming it hard enough that the paint cans rattled on the shelves. She glared at the door until she heard his truck leave the parking lot.

“Ass hole,” she grumbled, finally releasing her tensed muscles and relaxing into the chair. She tried to be angry, that was easier than being hurt. But she couldn't stop thinking about it. Why was he even upset with her anyways? What did she do to him? Huffing, she stood and turned off the radio, taking out her phone and putting on her Lana Del Rey playlist (which she knew would only make her sadder, but she didn’t care). Flopping back in the chair, she started putting paychecks into envelopes, for all those people who refused to enter the twenty first century and set up direct deposit. Derek was one of those people, and when she got to his check, she had to fight the urge to write ASS HOLE in giant letters on the envelope.

Instead she wrote his name, carefully, excruciatingly neat with absolutely no embellishments. She didn’t want him to know that she cared. “He probably gets a paper check so that he has an excuse to go to the bank and see _Jennifer_ …” Lydia snarled, slapping the now sealed envelope onto the finished pile with a little more force than necessary. “Jennifer with her innocent little smile and stupid blue eyes and fancy big girl job at the bank.”

“Talking to yourself now I see?”

With a surprised yelp Lydia glanced up to find Jordan standing just inside the door, smirking at her.

“It’s really rude to purposefully silence the bells when you open the door,” she hissed, glaring at him. But Jordan just smiled and walked towards her, his expression sobering as he looked at her face.

“You’ve been crying,” he whispered, reaching out a hand and tilting her chin up so he could see her eyes. “What’s the matter Lydia?”

“I wasn’t,” she tried to deny it, but she could already feel more tears pricking the backs of her eyes. “It’s nothing.” She sniffed, grabbing a tissue and wiping at her nose.

“Are you sure? Anybody need their ass kicked?” Jordan grinned at her, and Lydia couldn't help but giggle slightly. Jordan wouldn't stand a chance against Derek.

“No, I’m good.” she forced a smile. “Thank you though.”

“Hey any time,” Jordan smiled, patting her cheek gently. “So we finished all the deliveries early, you got the checks for the guys?” Nodding, Lydia handed him the pile.

“Oh,” she reached for Derek’s. “He left.” Jordan frowned, his eyes studying her face.

“Where’d he go?”

“Beats me.” Lydia huffed, dropping the envelope onto the corner of her desk.

“What’s going on with you two?” Jordan asked, his expression fighting between concern and amusement.

“What are you even talking about?” she hissed, not daring to meet his eyes. “I don't’ know what you mean.” At this he laughed loudly, coming around the desk and leaning up against it.

“Don’t even try to lie to me Martin,” he smirked. “Last week you two were inseparable, and all of a sudden it’s like the Cold War in here.”

“Well you’re going to have to ask your buddy Jordan,” Lydia sighed, holding in more tears. “Because I honestly have no idea why he’s being so… awful all of a sudden.”

“Oh Lyds,” Jordan dropped to his knees beside her chair, wrapping his arms around her. “So there is someone who needs a whoopin’ huh?” Lydia just sniffed, unable to keep herself from crying. “I might not be able to take him, but I’ll definitely make him feel like shit for ya.” At this Lydia shook her head.

“Well don’t do-” she paused when Jordan’s mouth quirked up into his little all-knowing smile.

“If he hurt your feelings, he deserves a little pain.” he said, raising his eyebrows. Lydia sighed in agreement, not in the mood to argue. “You two are so dense.” Jordan chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet. “Can’t even see what’s right in front of you.”

With that he was gone, shooting her one last wink as the door closed behind him. With a sigh Lydia laid her head on the desk. It was frustrating. The one person she wanted to talk to, was the one person who was causing her to feel this way. And it sucked.


	18. Rule #16: Make New Friends, But Cherish The Old Ones

When Lydia got home that afternoon, she went immediately to her parent’s liquor stash. After debating just how shit-faced she wanted to be by herself, she settled on a bottle of white wine. It was a cheap enough brand that she wasn’t worried about being able to replace it… and on second thought, she might as well grab two. Grabbing a solo cup from the kitchen (this was not a time to be classy) she climbed the stairs to her room and closed her door tightly behind her. She angrily pulled off her clothes and poured herself a cup of wine before crawling into bed and leaning against the headboard. The central air had her room at a chilly fifty degrees, she had The Breakfast Club ready on netflix, and she was going to down two bottles of wine in her underwear. This was the life.

Her phone was off. She had ice cream in the freezer. And she couldn’t stop thinking about how much more fun this would be if Derek was sitting next to her.

“Fuck.” she swore, reaching for the bottle of wine to fill up her cup. Thinking better of it, she tossed the cup on the ground, instead lifting the entire bottle to her lips. The wine was sweet, or at least, after a couple of glasses it seemed to go down like juice.

She was halfway through the movie, and almost done with the bottle of wine when her bedroom door swung open. She held her breath, half expecting Derek to be smiling at her from the hallway. Instead, it was Isaac, Scott and Stiles, all three looking relieved to find her. Lydia groaned and tightened her quilt around her.

“We’ve found her Al,” Isaac murmured into his phone, his eyes full of concern. “I’ll call you later.” Stiles strode right in, jumping onto the bed beside her, while the other two entered cautiously.

“Were you expecting someone else?” Stiles asked, permanent smirk in place. “You look so disappointed.” Taking another swig of wine, Lydia shrugged.

“What are you guys doing here?” she asked, avoiding the question. She watched as Scott walked around the other side of the bed and then crawled over to her, his arm snaking around her shoulders.

“Allison has been trying to call you,” Isaac offered as he settled himself into the easy chair in the corner.

“And Kira too,” Scott added, rubbing his hand soothingly down her upper arm. “She was freaking out, thought you’d gotten in a car crash…”

“Although you might die if you keep drinking all that wine,” Stiles said as he pried the bottle from her hand. “So what’s going on?” Lydia shook her head, eyes widening when the room went blurry.

“Nuffin’” she mumbled, leaning heavily against Scott. “I just had a bad day.” The boys shared a look.

“A bad day is not a good enough reason to hole up in your room with two bottles of wine,” Stiles pointed out.

“But lucky for you, we’re your friends, so we aren’t going to ask questions…” Scott growled, shooting a glare at Stiles. Lydia just nodded, feeling incredibly sleepy all of a sudden. “But we are gonna stay and watch the rest of this movie with you.”

“Ok,” she smiled slightly, letting her head rest of Scott’s shoulder and snuggling into him with a sigh. Within minutes, she had fallen peacefully asleep.

\-----------

The sound of her alarm clock blared loudly and Lydia slapped at it, groaning into her pillows when it finally stopped. Sitting up she rubbed at her eyes, confusion filling her at the condition of her bedroom. Allison and Isaac were both asleep in the easy chair, Scott and Kira were curled up together on the floor, and Stiles and Danny were on either side of her, each with an arm laying on top of her. She could remember Isaac and Scott and Stiles coming here… but the rest of them…

“Stiles!” she hissed, pushing at his shoulder. “Stiles, wake-up!” He grunted in his sleep, before his eyes fluttered open. ‘What the hell happened?” She didn't give him a chance to fully awaken before firing questions his way.

“You fell asleep…” he yawned. “And Allison and Kira wanted to see you for themselves… so we just had a sleepover…”

“In my room,” Lydia winced, holding a hand to her head. Definitely a little hung over. “While I was asleep.”

“Yup,” Stiles agreed sleepily, nuzzling his face into the pillow. “You should go back to bed.” The idea was sounding better and better, but Lydia shook her head.

“No, I’ve got to go to work.” she crawled over Stiles, not all that worried about any of the people in her room seeing her in her underwear. They’d all been friends for way too long for that to matter anymore. Stepping over Scott and Kira she grabbed a pair of jeans and a CM Lumber polo shirt (she had convinced her dad to order them for the office… brilliant idea) and headed towards the bathroom.

As she stood beneath the shower, hot water running down her face, she realized something. Although she was upset with Derek, he wasn’t her _only_ friend. In fact, she had a bunch of really, really great friends that would do anything for her. She didn’t need Derek in her life. She might want him there, but it wasn’t the end of the world if he for some reason wanted out. Her world didn't revolve around him.

Finally feeling a sense of resolution, Lydia stepped out of the shower and toweled off, getting dressed quickly so she could make it to the yard on time. Cheryl had taken the day off, so she was manning the store by herself. Hustling back to her room, she shook Allison gently awake.

“Lyds!” Allison exclaimed, rubbing at her eyes. “I was so worried about you.”

“I know,” she smiled, pressing a kiss into her best friend’s hair. “I’m so sorry. But I have to go to work.” She stepped back and glanced around the room. “You guys can help yourself to the food in the kitchen, kay?” Once Allison nodded sleepily, Lydia raced out of her room, shoving her feet into her cowboy boots before jogging out to her car.

As she pulled into the parking lot at the yard, a new rule came to her. It was a saying that she’d heard Cheryl use often. _Make new friends, but cherish the old ones_. Yes. She wouldn’t focus all of her attention on Derek. She would let him be, let him get over what ever he was dealing with. And for now, she could enjoy the friendship of the beautiful people sleeping in her bedroom at the moment.

\-------------

Derek was in her Dad’s office when she walked in, but Lydia didn’t bother saying hi to him. Instead she turned the radio on, purposefully putting it on top 40 since he’d said the rules didn’t matter anymore. She turned on the cash register, turned the closed sign around to open, and hung the open flag outside. CM Lumber was open and ready for business.

The morning was fairly busy, with locals coming in to get supplies for their gardens and their pools. By the time lunch time rolled around, business had slowed. The heat and humidity had confined people to the A/C, swimming pools, the lake, or the beach. So Lydia had settled behind the front desk, the latest issue of the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine propped open in front of her. She hadn’t packed a lunch, but was too steadfastly avoiding Derek to ask him to watch the store while she ran down the street. Instead, she sent a text to Malia, begging her to bring her some food. Specifically, a grilled buffalo chicken sandwich with tomatoes and bacon and avocado and caramelized onions and lots of blue cheese.

What she wasn’t expecting was Cora and Erica to come bursting in a few minutes later, holding two take-out bags from the diner.

“Malia said you needed lunch,” Cora announced, dropping the bag on the counter in front of her. Forcing herself not to roll her eyes, Lydia smiled at Derek’s sister.

“Thanks,” she murmured, reaching for the bag. “You didn’t have to bring this to me.” Cora smirked, her eyes flitting over to Erica, who was glancing around the store, a second bag clutched in her hand.

“Is Derek here?” the blonde asked, her brown eyes hopeful as she looked for him. This time actually rolling her eyes, Lydia nodded and pointed her thumb over her shoulder towards her dad’s office. Erica grinned and walked past her, hips swinging seductively. Scowling to herself, Lydia ripped open the bag Malia had sent, momentarily forgetting that Cora was still standing in front of her.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t like her like that,” Cora said quietly, causing Lydia to pause in her movements. She stared up at Derek’s sister, unused to even speaking with her. Cora had always been… distant. Lydia was pretty sure that she annoyed her with her fancy clothes and high heels and bitchy comments. “Don’t look at me like that,” Cora added, hopping up to sit on the desk. “It’s written all over your face.”

“Well I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me… period.” Lydia grumbled, taking a bit bite of her sandwich. Cora was looking at her pityingly, a little smirk on her lips.

“What happened to your face!” Erica exclaimed behind them. Lydia froze. She’s been so successful in staying away from Derek, that she hadn’t even looked at him today. Unable to help herself she followed Cora to her dad’s office, jaw dropping when her eyes landed on Derek.

His bottom lip had been busted, his left eye was black, and he had a deep looking scratch across his right cheek.

“Oh great, the gang’s all here.” he grumbled, his eyes landing on Lydia for only a second. She huffed and crossed her arms, debating whether or not she even cared enough to find out what happened. Which was silly. Because of course she cared.

“Jesus, what the hell happened to you?” Cora was grimacing as she bent over her brother, poking gently at his bruised face.

“I just had a few too many last night,” he growled, eyes once more flickering to Lydia before focusing back on the lunch Erica had brought him. Lydia cocked her head, studying him. When he was drunk with her, he’d been so happy. Annoyingly happy, but happy nonetheless. But Jordan and Laura had told her he was a hot head.

“I thought you were done with that shit,” Cora whispered, and Lydia suddenly felt like she shouldn’t be there. Shaking her head, she returned to her own lunch. It was stupid really. The both of them had turned into train wrecks last night, making fools of themselves because they were acting like children. _Well he was acting like a child._ When they could’ve been happy together, they’d spent the night apart, and miserable. And Lydia wasn’t about to let that continue.

 

\-------------

Derek had left early again, mumbling something about helping his dad put hay into the barn. Lydia hadn't even had time to respond before he was out the door, the bells jingling in his wake. She didn’t realize until about an hour later that he hadn’t taken his paycheck. It shouldn't have bothered her, but it did. The world wasn't going to end if he waited until Monday to deposit it. _Jennifer would still be there on Monday_. Making up her mind, Lydia called up Stiles as she closed down the shop.

“Hey drunky!” Stiles sang into the phone. “How ya feelin’?” As much as she loved Stiles, she only had a one track mind today.

“How do I get to the Hale’s farm?” She asked, biting her lip nervously. Derek was going to have to talk to her whether he liked it or not. Lydia Martin did not let things like this go.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I managed to get two chapters done today. Thanks for reading!!
> 
> XOXO - B


	19. Rule #17: If One Completes The Dare, The Other Must Follow

With a quiet grunt Derek tossed a hay bale, nodding with satisfaction as it slid into the last open space on the top row. His dad had already started on the next row as they slowly filled second floor of the barn with fresh green bales. Jordan and Derek's uncle Peter were on the trailer down below, placing bales on the hay elevator, which slowly brought them up to Derek and his dad. They were almost done, and Derek was more than ready for a nice, cool shower. He was sweaty, tired, and still feeling like an idiot for being a drunk asshole at the bar last night. So he was not at all thrilled when he noticed his dad leaning against the barn door, with no new bales coming up the elevator.

"Who is _that_?" His dad mumbled as Derek ambled over to him. Filled with apprehension Derek peeked out the door, sighing when he spotted a white BMW parked beside Jordan's truck. Jordan had hopped off the trailer, and was chatting with the one and only Lydia Martin. "That's the girl isn't it?" His dad chuckled, wiping sweat off his forehead with the bottom of his shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Derek growled, watching with horror as his mom walked out of the house, bee lining towards Lydia.

"The one that's got you all twisted up in knots and getting into bar fights." Derek glared at his father. Why was Lydia even here in the first place? Ever since it'd hit him that she would never see him as more than a friend, he'd been keeping his distance. He couldn't trust himself to be around her when he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her.

Out in the driveway,his mom had his arm around Lydia, leading her towards the calf barn. The red head glanced over her shoulder, and for a moment their eyes met, sending a wave of heat through Derek's body. _God dammit._

"Yo let's go!" He yelled at his uncle, glowering when Peter grinned widely at him.

"Who's the hottie?" Peter asked, waggled his eyebrows when Derek flipped him off.

"Stay away from her," he growled, flushing when Peter's grin only grew. "Fuck you all."

 

\-----------

Derek followed the sound of Lydia's giggles into the calf barn, pausing in the shadows. She was bent at the waist, feeding one of the calves a bottle. There were three more calves surrounding her, licking at her jeans with their sand paper tongues and chewing on the hem of her shirt. One calf, a little jersey heifer that was born on Thursday, was sucking on her fingers, which Derek assumed was the source of her giggling. It was strange to see her here, in the shadowy barn that smelled like cow manure and silage and fresh wood shavings. But she seemed to light the place up, her smile and giggles as she baby talked to the calves making his stomach feel funny. It was like she belonged here.

He glanced around, looking for his mom, only to find her watching him quietly from the other side of the barn. She smiled at him, and Derek knew he couldn't hide in the shadows any longer. His mom nodded in approval as he stepped forward, quietly slipping out of the barn.

"Hey," Derek murmured, causing Lydia to straighten quickly, the grin dropping from her face.

"Hi," she bit her lip, refusing to hold his gaze. "I um, brought you your check," she pulled an envelope out of her back pocket. "You left without it yesterday. And today. And I just thought that... You might want it... I guess." She was hesitant, her voice unsure as she spoke. Derek felt a deep sense of guilt overwhelm him. He'd done this. He'd made her act like this.

"Thanks," he replied, reaching for the envelope. But Lydia held onto it, forcing him to look back down at her.

"Derek." She says his name, her green eyes wide and pleading, her perfect pink lips pursing slightly. "I don't know what happened between us. But I do know I don't like it." She swallowed hard. "And you either need to tell me what the hell the issue is, or we need to go back to being friends. I’m willing to forget this happened if you will start acting like a normal person again. Your choice." Derek stared at her a moment, debating internally. He could tell her he was in love with her, and walk away. Or he could feed his addiction to her, and live the rest of his life in the hell otherwise known as the friendzone. Settling on the second, instantly gratifying option, Derek wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, burying his face in her hair. It surprised him when she eagerly snuggled against him, her arms hooking around his neck. _This is not a platonic type of hug._ Derek chose to ignore the voice in the back of his head, instead holding her closer. "Wanna hang out with me for a little bit?" He asked after a few moments, heart jumping when she grinned and nodded. “I’ve gotta go get the hay rake out of the back field.” He explained, gulping when she wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked back out into the sunshine.

Derek could feel everyone watching them, but he didn’t dare look towards the barn. He knew they were all in there, drinking water and iced tea to cool down. Peter was undoubtedly smirking, and Jordan was probably feeding him all sorts of confidential information. And his parents were most like sharing knowing looks and smiling, and planning on having a pow-wow with his sisters to get all the facts they could about Lydia.

“I like your mom,” Lydia said quietly, drawing Derek’s attention back to her. Derek rolled his eyes and just grunted quietly. Everybody liked his mom. She had a way with people that made them feel at ease, comfortable. Laura had inherited that trait, which explained why she was so successful as a bartender that she was able to save up enough tips to buy the whole place. But Derek and Cora had _obviously_ missed out on the whole people-person thing.

He hopped up onto the tractor, smirking down at Lydia. She was staring at him with a confused expression, looking unsure of what she was supposed to do.

“Come on Red, climb up here.” he patted the fender beside him.

“You want me to sit on top of a tire?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“On top of a fender over the tire.” Derek grinned. “Don’t be a chicken shit.” She glared at him and pulled herself up onto the tractor, awkwardly clambering up onto the fender. Once she was seated he put the tractor in gear, smirking when she squealed as it jumped into motion. “I won’t let you fall.” He murmured, wrapping one arm firmly around her waist.

They drove behind the barn and along the edge of the pasture, heading for the newly cut hay fields.

“How much land do you guys have?” Lydia asked after a few moments.

“Four hundred acres.”

“Wow…” she sighed. “It’s really beautiful.” Derek glanced up at her, her red hair almost glowing in the afternoon sun, her lips parted slightly as she stared at the scenery around them.

“Yeah, it is.” he replied, not sure if he was talking about the land or her.

“So… what’d you do last night?” she looked down at him with a smirk, even though her soft fingers were gently tracing the cut on his cheek, moving over his split lip. Derek sighed, sending her a dirty look as he backed the tractor up to the hay rake.

“I went to the bar…” he grumbled, turning the tractor off and hopping down. Lydia shifted on the fender, watching him with that annoying little smile. “And I drank too much.”

“Oh come on Hale!” she whined. “That does not explain why you look like a MMA fighter right now!” He sighed again, yanking on the rake’s hitch to move it into place.

“You’re a menace, you know that?” he growled half-heartedly trying to ignore the way her giggle was making his insides all warm and fluffy. “I get angry when I drink. It’s a problem. Some guy pushed me and I just went off on him. And then his buddies jumped in… and basically I got tossed around the bar for a few minutes before Jordy could get me out of there.” When he glanced back up at Lydia, she was studying him, her head cocked to the side, her eyes flickering over his body. She flushed slightly when she realized he had caught her, but Derek couldn’t stop the little smirk from appearing on his face.

“You weren’t like that last Friday…” she said, her eyes daring him to say anything about catching her checking him out. “You were like annoyingly happy.”

“Yeah well,” Derek slid the pin into the hole, securing the rake to the tractor. “I was with you wasn’t I?”

“Oh.” Lydia said quietly, frowning slightly to herself. And then she beamed at him, her smile wide and genuine and beautiful and all he wanted was to kiss her like she’d never been kissed before. Instead he climbed back up on the tractor beside her.

“So… what’d you do last night?”

“Oh the usual,” her voice was sarcastically cheerful. “Turned off my phone, downed a bottle of wine while watching Princess Bride in my underwear… have my friends freak out and send their boyfriends to check up on me, and then wake up in the morning with six people sleeping in my room with me.” She grinned. “Not quite as exciting as waking up with you in my bed but… Danny and Stiles were passable.”

Derek swallowed hard again, refusing to acknowledge his body’s reactions to her words. He wasn’t going to think about her in her underwear, he wasn’t going to think about her drinking wine in her underwear, and he wasn’t going to think about being in bed _with_ her for all of those activities. Derek started the tractor and glanced up at her, instantly regretting that decision (or maybe every decision he’d ever made in his entire life). Lydia was biting her bottom lip, her eyes sparkling and every bone in his body was urging him to pull her down into his lap and show her how beautiful she thought she was.

Instead he narrowed his eyes, pretending that she was annoying him and not making his inner self do a little happy dance.

“It’s really fucking hot.” Lydia said suddenly, pulling at the collar of the shirt she was wearing. Derek raised his eyebrows.

“You’re the one who decided to wear jeans in the middle of the summer.”

“You’re wearing jeans too dumbass,” she hissed, poking at his shoulder. Derek rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but I’m a man. Men don't wear shorts.” At this Lydia started to giggle.

“What are you, a caveman or something? Get into the twenty first century!” She laughed, leaning dangerously far back over the fender. Panicking Derek wrapped his arm back around her, pulling her closer to him. “Either way,” she continued, “I’m still over heating.” An idea popped into Derek’s head, bringing a smile to his face.

“Ok, then why don’t you just go for a swim?” he nodded towards the creek that wound it’s way through the woods on his family’s property, eventually running into the lake. Lydia seemed to actually be considering it, her eyes narrowed on the water.

“I dunno…” she mumbled, still waving the collar of her shirt, looking for a breeze.

“I dare you.” Derek smirked, enjoying the way her face hardened at his challenge. She turned her calculating look to him.

“How about this…” she cocked her head. “New rule, if one of us completes a dare, then the other one is obligated to do it too.” Derek considered this for a moment, trying to figure out how much trouble he could get himself into by agreeing. But Lord knows he would do anything Lydia asked him. Especially if it involved the possibility of seeing her dripping wet.

“Ok fine.” he agreed, nodding slightly. She clapped gleefully as he parked the tractor, and they both climbed down and walked towards the creek. When they got close, he stopped, watching as Lydia cautiously approached the edge.

The water ran deep here, maybe about eight feet at the highest. There was an old rope swing hanging off a tree, a remnant from Derek’s childhood. Seeming satisfied with the clarity of the water, Lydia stepped away from the bank and walked over to a rock. She never took her eyes off Derek as she slowly pulled her CM Lumber shirt over her head, then kicked off her boots and pushed her jeans down her hips. _Good Lord._

“You better be ready Hale,” she teased, before turning from him, her hips swinging as she walked towards the waters edge. She dipped a toe in, her intake of breath loud enough for Derek to hear. Oh yeah, that water was coooold. He was moving before he could stop himself, yanking his tank top over his head and dropping his jeans. Allowing his inner thirteen year old to take over, he charged at Lydia, grinning when she turned around, her eyes wide as he tackled her into the water.

Lydia was already shrieking when her head popped out of the water, kicking and slapping at him. Derek just threw his head back and laughed, dunking her under the water when she smacked at his chest. She pulled herself up using his shoulders, and suddenly it wasn’t funny any more. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her body slick against his own. On instinct Derek had placed his hands at her waist. There were drops of water on her eyelashes, and on the end of her nose, and she was laughing still, her eyes bright with excitement. He had to tell her. He was gonna tell her. And then he was gonna kiss her. And they would live happily ever after.

“There’s a party tonight, down at Danny’s house on the lake,” Lydia quipped, leaning back in his arms and wringing the water out of her braid. “You should come.” Derek swallowed, pushing all the words about love and wanting her back where they came from.

“I don’t do parties,” he grumbled, still not ready to release her from his embrace.

“Too bad,” Lydia smirked, reaching down and adjusting her lacy black bra. _Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t you dare look._ “You owe me for being such a dickweed all week. So I expect to see you here.” She winked at him, before pushing away from his chest and diving back under the water. Derek watched her swim off. How had he let it get this far?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!
> 
> xoxo - B


	20. Rule #18: Leave Before The Cops Get There

“He’s so tall, and handsome as hell… he’s so bad but he does it so wellll…” Lydia sand along with Taylor Swift as she ran a straightener through Malia’s hair.

“What is that? You and Derek’s song?” Malia scoffed, biting her lip and smirking at Lydia in the mirror.

“No.” Lydia growled, yanking a little harder than necessary on her friend’s hair. “Why would you say that?”

“Oh I dunno… since I’ve had to hear about you two making up and going swimming in your undies for the past hour.”

“Who was swimming in their undies?” Allison huffed, peeking her head into Lydia’s bedroom.

“What are you doing here?” Lydia growled, avoiding the question. “I thought you were going with Isaac.”

“She is,” Isaac appeared behind Allison, pushing into the room and flopping face first onto Lydia’s bed. “She’s also insisting that we bring you two single ladies with us.” Lydia and Malia made eye contact in the mirror, sharing a hefty eyeroll.

“Well it sounds to me like Lydia won’t be single much longer…” Allison smirked, dropping into the easy chair.

“Will you guys stop with that? We’re just friends.” Lydia growled, unplugging the straightener with a yank.

“Since when do _friends_ make you so upset that you decide to drink a bottle of wine by yourself?” Allison teased.

“I’m not talking about this anymore.” Lydia snipped, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Let’s just go.”

\---------

Once again, Derek found himself walking towards a party, this time all too aware that Lydia was the only reason he was there. He lurked in the shadows along the edge of Danny’s back yard, taking in the scene. There were three tables with beer pong games going, a rowdy crowd cheering the players on. What looked to be a DJ’s booth was set up on the porch (he vaguely remembered Danny saying something about his side job DJing school dances). Kenny Chesney was blaring from the speakers, and Derek watched with awe as the whole party held their cups up in the air and cheered,

“A little messed up but we’re all alright!”

“Who’s ready for some throwbacks?!?!” a familiar voice had Derek turning back towards the porch, groaning loudly. Jordan had some how found his way up there, headphones hanging around his neck and a solo cup in his hand. Dude was definitely white girl wasted. The crowd cheered, and Jordan whooped into the mic, waving his hands above his head as some old school Fifty Cent started bumping. Derek shook his head, scanning the crowd for Lydia.

His heart leapt when he spotted her. She was weaving through the now crowded lawn, pulling Malia through the bumping and grinding bodies. Her hair hung straight down her back in a strawberry blonde curtain down to the top of her tiny little floral skirt. She was wearing a pale blue button down shirt, tied at her waist and unbuttoned indecently low.

Malia seemed to be digging her heels in as Lydia dragged her up onto the porch and over to Jordan. Stepping out of the shadow, Derek frowned as Lydia whispered in Jordan’s ear, and then his friend handed his cousin a pair of headphones, eliciting a nervous smile from Malia. Oh man, he was not a fan of this. But then Jordan was leaning towards Lydia and pointing his way.

He felt like he was in a music video as R Kelly’s Ignition remix started blasting through the party, everything in slow motion as Lydia walked towards him through the crowd.

“You came!” she exclaimed when she reached him, wrapping her arms around his middle in a hug.

“Yeah,” Derek grumbled, returning the hug.

“Come on, dance with me.” her voice seemed more seductive than usual as she grabbed his hand, leading him into the mass of people. And then she backed up against him, her hands in the air as her hips swung against his. And Derek was done for.

\-----------

Lydia had to admit that the guy had rhythm. Derek’s big hands were on her hips, holding her tight against him as they moved with the music. Allison caught her eye from across the yard, her eyebrows raising with a smirk. She ignored her best friend, instead focusing on the music and having fun. Because that’s what tonight was about. She wasn't drinking (she’d had enough of that the night before). Instead, she was more interested with the development of Malia and Jordan’s relationship. Malia had needed the little extra push to actually talk to him, and now it looked like they were having a blast playing DJ… (Even if Jordan was incredibly drunk).

Lydia wrapped an arm around Derek’s neck, not oblivious to the low moan that escaped his lips. She was considering turning around to face him, thinking about maybe kissing him or just… running his hands all over her body, when Stiles appeared in front of her.

“Yo dude!” he yelled over the music, can of Bud Light clasped in his hand. “What happened to your face?” Derek groaned in her ear, the vibrations sending tingles through her entire body.

“Got into a fight.” he growled, hands tightening on her hips as Stiles began to dance closer to them.

“What!” Stiles made a face. “Why the hell would you do--- heyyyyy Scotty! Where’d you come from?” And then he was distracted, moving through the throng of bodies towards Scott and Kira.

“That kid….” Derek grumbled in her ear. “Why’s he so nosey?” Lydia smiled to herself, this time actually spinning in his arms so that she could see his face.

“He doesn’t mean any harm,” she had to yell over the music. “It’s just… Stiles.” Derek was staring down at her, an unimpressed look on his bruised face.

“Well I don’t…” he paused, his eyes suddenly focusing on something over her shoulder. “New Rule,” he murmured, moving his hands from his hips to intertwine with her fingers. “Always leave the party before the cops get there.” And then he was dragging her through the crowd and then ducking between cars. “Shhhh.” He hummed, pressing her against the side of a truck. Red and blue lights flashed through the darkness, followed by the instant hush of the party.

“Come on, let’s go!” Derek hissed, running towards his own truck and pulling her along with him. Lydia scrambled in through the driver’s door, not caring that her skirt was probably riding up and her shirt was falling open. Derek pushed her in and jumped in beside her, starting the truck and tearing away from the party.

After a mile or so, Lydia burst into giggles. She didn’t know why, just that the entire situation was… ridiculous.

“What’s so funny?” Derek grumbled, sending a glare her way. She just shook her head and leaned against his shoulder, continuing to giggle quietly.

“Wanna go eat some ice cream?” she asked, not quite ready to be away from him. “My freezer is stocked.”

“Are you gonna eat it in your underwear?”

She pulled back from Derek, narrowing her eyes. He was smirking, and even in the dashboard lights she could see his ears turning red. Feeling brave she winked at him.

“Only if you do.” At this Derek grinned, his eyes lighting up at the challenge. Heat began to pool between her thighs under his gaze, forcing her to look away. It was so easy, natural with him. The flirting,the talking… the dancing… Staring down at her hands, Lydia began to panic. She was falling for him. All she could think about was spending time with him. And in three weeks, she’d be heading back school. Without him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is both late and short! thanks for reading!!
> 
> xoxo - B


	21. Rule #19: Remember Me

 

Derek had completely given in. Since Saturday night, he'd spent every afternoon and night at Lydia's house. She'd cook dinner, or they'd order pizza, or pick up take out from the dinner. Then they'd watch tv, or movies, or play video games. Unfortunately, none of these activities involved Lydia in her underwear (it turned out she was a little more modest than he'd thought). But they had been sharing a bed. And Derek was in hell. Or heaven. He wasn't sure which.

She'd hit him with the truth bomb on Tuesday night as they ate pizza on the couch. He'd always known that she would have to go back to school, but he wasn't prepared for the feeling of dread that filled him. Of course it was nothing compared to the twisting of his stomach that came along with her telling him how great of a friend he’d become to her.

_BUT I DONT WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND!!!_ His brain was screaming behind the smile on his face. And then she'd ruffled his hair, carefully brushing her fingers down his face and across his still healing lip. It was a thing she'd started doing, caressing his split bottom lip. Derek hated it. Well he loved it actually. Adored it. It made him want to suck her finger into his mouth and grab her wrist and hold her there until she began to flush. But instead he had to pretend like it didn't affect him, like her fingers didn't send shivers of desire through his entire body.

He dreamt of her for the first time that night. And it always felt so _real._ They'd be laying in her bed, and then she'd roll towards him, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She'd run a soft hand down his chest, stretching to kiss his neck as her hand slid under the waistband of his briefs. And Derek would moan, grabbing her waist and rolling on top of her, kissing her mouth and jaw and ears and dragging her clothes off her body. Lydia's breathy little moans and strained demands would send him into overdrive, pounding into her as she screamed her name.

And then he'd wake up. Sweaty, heart pounding, with an uncomfortable hard-on, trying not to wake the sleeping beauty beside him. It was hell.

\------

Lydia was most definitely a fan of playing house with Derek. She'd even considered calling up her mom and suggesting they stay in the Cape for another week or two. But she knew that wouldn't work, it'd be suspicious, and Cheryl would surely throw her under the bus. Because the change in Derek and Lydia's relationship had not gone unnoticed by Cheryl, or Jordan for that matter. The two had been sharing knowing looks, and had even taken to gossiping together at the picnic tables at lunch. (Derek would send glares at them and make Lydia go over there and tell them to stop talking about him).

She was dreading the end of the week. What was she going to do when she couldn't force Derek to watch romantic comedies with her while cuddling in her bed every night? And yes, they cuddled. Underneath his grumpy exterior, Derek was one big puppy dog. He would wrap his big arms around her, the heat of his body radiating through both their t-shirts. His hands would eventually sneak up under the hem of her t-shirt, calloused thumbs rubbing soft circles across her stomach, slow heat building in the pit of her stomach in response. She'd considered kissing him every night. She'd fallen asleep thinking about how his lips would feel against hers, and how badly she wanted those rough hands on every inch of her body.

Every time she'd chicken out. Afraid of how he'd react. Afraid to ruin their friendship. Afraid to start something when she was leaving so soon.

And then her parents came home.

She and Derek spent most nights together anyways. Hanging out at his sister's bar, or just driving around in his truck, listening to the radio and looking at the stars. Time was going to fast. Lydia struggled to slow it down, to make memories with all of her friends that she could remember while she was in school. She tried to memorize Derek's smile, the shade of green his eyes turned when he looked up at her through his lashes, the way he smirked at her when she started talking about some scientific concept that nobody understood except her.

Derek helped her move into her apartment in Boston. He and her dad carried in all her clothes and shoes and books and the food that Natalie had packed for her. This was her third year of college, and she was used to saying goodbye to her parents. They left after she was settled, not wasting time on goodbyes and tears. She was less than an hour away any how.

But Derek had stood there in her doorway, looking awkward and too big for the room with his hands shoved in his pockets. And Lydia had felt the tears then, pricking the backs of her eyes, bringing pain to her throat. So she'd run to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, sobbing loudly into his chest. And Derek had hugged her back, his breath warm as he pressed his face into her hair. They'd stood there, wrapped up in each other, for what seemed like minutes, but may have been an hour.

"Don't forget about me Red," Derek whispered finally, pulling her chin up to look into his eyes. "I swear to God, I'll go crazy if you just... Ghost on me."

His anxiety was visible, and it brought a fresh wave of tears on for Lydia.

"I won't," she promised, this time draping her arms over his shoulders and pressing her body against his. "I won't." She repeated, pressing her face into the side of his neck, trying to memorize his smell.

And then he was pulling away, pressing his lips to her forehead. Lydia whimpered quietly, stopping herself from clinging to his t-shirt and begging him to please stay with her. Forever. And then he was gone.

\--------

Instead of going home, Derek returned to the lumberyard. He couldn't face anyone just yet, not when he'd almost been brought to tears after leaving Lydia in Boston. It was stupid really. He was a grown ass man, who should be able to control himself better than this. He hadn't let a woman get this close since Paige. In fact, Lydia was the only person outside of family that he'd let behind his carefully guarded walls. And now she was gone.

He found himself sitting behind the desk Lydia and Cheryl shared, resting his head in his hands. This whole summer had been ridiculous, like it wasn't even real. How was he supposed to work without her here? Without her singing and dancing to the radio, without her gossiping with Cheryl and Jordan, without her sending him secret smiles when no one was looking.

A crumpled looking piece of paper sticking out of one of the drawers caught his eye, so he pulled it out, carefully smoothing it out on the desk.

**Hale's Rules**

**1\. Country and Oldies Only**

**2. ~~No Flirting With Customers~~ Necessary Flirting Only**

**3\. Always Answer Your Phone**

**4\. Don't Interrupt My Beach Days (BY LYDIA)**

**5\. Always Wear Your Shoes**

**6\. Don't Start Something You Can't Finish**

**7\. Don't Ask Questions You Don't Want The Answers To**

**8\. Keep Each Other's Secrets**

**9\. Don't. Touch. My. Food. (BY LYDIA)**

**10\. ?**

**11\. Pinky Swears Are Law (aka Derek is a nerd)**

**12\. You Can't Run From the Cops (even when it's fucking Talbot)**

**13\. We Hang Out On Friday Nights (aka Derek is adorable when he's drunk)**

**14\. We Always Need A Plan**

**15\. The Rules Don't Matter**

**16\. Make New Friends, But Cherish The Old Ones**

**17\. If One Completes A Dare, The Other Has To Do It Too**

**18\. Leave Before The Cops Show Up**

She’d kept track of his rules. He could see where she’d cried on the paper, how she'd crumpled it up at one point. It was covered in doodles of hearts and crossed out little scribbles. Finding a pen, Derek decided to add another rule.

**19\. Remember Me**

Feeling slightly satisfied he folded the paper up and tucked it back into the draw. He didn’t know if she’d ever see it, if she’d ever find it. But he did know that one day, it would bring a smile to Lydia’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks For Reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	22. Rule #20: I Will

Lydia tapped her hands anxiously on the steering wheel, glancing nervously between the clock on her dashboard and the traffic surrounding her. Getting out of Boston on a Friday afternoon was its own slice of hell in general, never mind when you were trying to get somewhere. Somewhere meaning home, well Laura’s bar actually. Jordan had planned a sort of surprise birthday party for Derek, and she was going to be there or die trying.

By the time she pulled into the bar, the parking lot was full, loud music audible even outside. It was still warm, summer not yet officially over, and Lydia was taking advantage of it with her short skirt and crop top. Grabbing the card she’d gotten for Derek off the passenger seat, she headed inside, heels clicking loudly on the blacktop.

Her heart dropped at the sight in front of her. Derek was on the dance floor, grinning like a drunk with Jennifer from the bank spinning in his arms. _Fuck_. Trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach, Lydia pushed towards the bar through the crowd, grinning when Allison waved from behind the bar.

“Lyds!” Jordan called, waving her towards him. “It’s good to see you kiddo! I’ve missed you!” He slid off the stool and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“I’ve only been gone a couple weeks J,” she grumbled, but smiled brightly at him when he pulled away.

“Just ask Hale, it’s felt like years!” Jordan laughed, hopping back up on the stool and patting the one beside him. Lydia slid onto the stool, nodding at Laura when she handed her a diet coke.

“Yeah well, he looks pretty preoccupied,” she grumbled, spinning the stool around to face the dance floor. Jordan just smirked at her, obviously sensing her jealousy.

“Red!!!!!!!” Derek had spotted her, immediately releasing Jennifer and charging towards the bar. He scooped her into his arms, spinning around with her squeezed tightly against his chest. “You came!”

“Happy Birthday Hale,” Lydia hummed, pressing her face into his shoulder and breathing in his familiar smell.

“I’m drunk!” He whispered loudly, following it up with a giggle.

“I can tell,” Lydia smiled at him, feeling disappointed when he set her down. “I see you’re happy drunk this time.” It clicked when she said the words out loud. That’s what bothered her. He was only supposed to be happy when she was around. And now obviously he had found another source of light besides herself. Her throat tightened as Jennifer walked up behind him, smiling kindly at Lydia.

“Huh?” Derek looked confused, only distracted when Jennifer gently touched his shoulder.

“Go dance!” Lydia urged, waving him away from her. “I gotta catch up with Allison.” she forced a smile, waiting until he turned away to drop the facade.

“That was stupid.” Lydia spun around, sending a glare at Allison behind the bar. Her best friend, along with Jordan and Laura, were all staring at her, their expressions a mixture of pity and amusement.

“What are you talking about?” she growled, pretending that her soda was whiskey as she chugged it. The other three shared a look, obviously not fooled by her grumbling.

“You’re being an idiot Lyd,” Jordan chuckled, sipping at his beer. “You should’ve seen how anxious he was, wondering if you’d be here.”

“Doesn’t look to anxious.” she muttered, wondering if she pretended hard enough, if her soda would actually turn into alcohol. Jordan and Allison groaned, and Laura shook her head, none of them impressed with her attitude. To be honest, Lydia was unimpressed with herself too.

She forced herself to hang out for an hour, even dancing one song with Derek. She’d missed him. Terribly. But she hadn’t gone about showing it very well. She called him maybe once, but it had been kind of awkward… and they’d text sporadically… but it just wasn’t the same. And now, watching Derek spin Jennifer around the dance floor, _again,_ she realized she’d ruined what they had. She’d basically forced Derek to find comfort in someone else.

Leaving the card on the bar, she slipped out unnoticed. Once in her car, she sat in silence, staring blankly at the steering wheel. She didn’t know where to go. She couldn't go home, her parents were probably still awake. She couldn't go back to her apartment, she’d made plans with Allison for tomorrow. So that left…

Tears started to stream down her face as she drove to the lumberyard. She stumbled up the steps, blindly attempting to force her key into the lock. She cried out in frustration, stomping a heeled foot as she wiped at her eyes.

“Come on!” Taking a calming breath, she was finally able to unlock the door, stepping inside the dark store and closing it behind her. She made her way to Cheryl’s desk by memory, only switching on the light and flopping into the chair.

This sucked.

Life sucked.

And she really was an idiot.

A stupid fucking idiot who shouldn’t have let Derek go without telling him how she felt. She kicked off her shoes, pressing her toes to the cool tile with a smirk. Breaking one of his damn rules. And it felt good.

Oh a whim she stood and turned on the radio, nostalgically leaving it on the country station. But George Strait singing about young love didn’t do a whole lot to cheer her up. Lowering herself back into the desk chair, Lydia yanked open the bottom left draw, pulling out her list Derek’s rules. It was folded neatly, which she certainly didn’t remember doing. _Cheryl must’ve been snooping_. But her heart dropped when she opened it, eyes immediately drawn to the last rule, written in Derek’s neat scrawl.

“Remember me.” she whispered, a fresh wave of sadness washing over her. Lydia hung her head, trying not to cry, again. She wasn’t a cryer. She was strong. She shouldn’t be acting like this. With shaky hands, she carefully added another rule.

**20\.  I Will.**

Then she folded the note back up and put it back, hoping that maybe Derek would find it. With a loud sigh, she slid her feet back into her shoes and turned off the light and radio. Maybe going home and seeing her parents wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today because they were kind of short.  
> Thanks For Reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	23. Salt. Tequila. Lime.

Two months.

It had been two months since Lydia had seen Derek. She’d texted him a couple times, just to check in and see how things were at the lumberyard. But other than that… it’s been radio silence.

And she hated it. Hated every single second of it. She’d tried to ignore it, tried to go to parties, and sneak into bars, and go out on dates that ended as one night stands. But it didn’t work. Every night she’d fall asleep, wondering what it would be like if Derek was hers. Would he call her every night? Would he visit her on the weekends? Would they have sex on every surface of her apartment?

“I’m goin’ out Lyds!” Her roommate Carly called from the door. “I’ll text you if I end up going home with somebody else!”

“You mean when!” Lydia earned a chuckle for that one, followed by the jingle of keys and the sound of their apartment door closing. And Lydia was alone again. Not that she minded. She’d been pulling into herself lately, preferring to spend her time reading books and catching up on homework instead of getting blackout drunk every night. Plus, it was a cold, rainy, November night, and everybody knows what a disaster that would be for her hair.

Her phone rang on her desk, and she scrambled for it, frowning at Carly’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” she answered, sitting on the edge of her bed,

“Hey um, there’s a guy leaning against a truck… in the rain.” Carly was whispering, her words coming in huffs as she walked.

“And…”

“And his sweatshirt had your last name on it… so…”

“Oh my god,” Lydia breathed, her heart rate already jumping. “I gotta go.” She hung up the phone and slid her feet into a pair of slippers, racing out the apartment door and down the stairs. Through the building entrance, she could see Derek, his dark hair dripping wet, chewing his lip as he looked nervously between the front door and Lydia’s apartment window. He looked like a drowned rat. A hot drowned rat, but still…

“Derek!” she yelled, sticking her head out the door. “What are you doing? Get in here!” He flushed slightly at being caught, but pushed off the truck anyways, ambling towards her through the rain. “Hey,” Lydia breathed, wrapping her arms around him, not caring that he was soaking wet.

“Hey.” he murmured, his arms almost uncomfortably tight around her.

“Come on,” Lydia sighed, breaking away from him and tugging on his sleeve. “Let’s get you upstairs.” Up close she could see that Derek’s eyes were red with bags underneath them. He looked like shit. But he followed her up to her apartment, almost in a daze. Once she closed the door behind them, she snapped her fingers at him, pulling at his sweatshirt until he pulled it off. Grabbing a towel from the bathroom she sat cross legged on the couch, waiting until he sat next to her. “What’s going on Der?” she asked quietly, beginning to gently dry his hair and neck. He was quiet for a moment, his fingers toying with the couch cushions.

“It was seven years ago tonight.” he whispered finally. Lydia paused, taking a minute until her brain caught up. Paige.

“Oh honey,” she whispered, tossing the towel away and pulling him towards her until his head rested in her lap. “Talk to me.” she commanded softly, carding her fingers through his damp hair. He rolled onto his side, snuggling his cheek into her flannel pajama covered thigh.

“It’s my fault.” he choked out, fingers still picking at the couch. “And nobody even knows.”

“That can’t be true,” Lydia murmured, her heart already breaking for him. She could feel the guilt radiating from him.

“It is,” he burrowed his face into her stomach, his whole body shaking with grief. “I’d just bought the ring, and I called her, I called her at school, at Berkeley, and I begged her to come home, convinced her to come see me.” His voice was choked, and she could feel hot tears soaking her t-shirt. “I should’ve waited, she would’ve been home for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. But I just couldn’t wait.” Lydia could feel tears pricking the backs of her eyes, her throat tightening painfully. “So Paige got on a bus home, and she was all alone, just her and the bus driver… and I was waiting for her… waiting at the park and ride. And the bus never showed. It was a night just like this, and the road had flooded, and the bus driver just… lost control.” Derek’s fingers were gripping her shirt now, fisting the fabric. “I should’ve gone and picked her up. I should’ve waited. I was so stupid!”

“Hey,” Lydia murmured, adjusting herself until she laid on the couch beside him. “You’re not stupid. You were in love.” She placed her arms around him, running her hands soothingly up and down his back. “You were excited, you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her! Nothing about that was stupid.” Derek didn’t respond, but his sobs were slowing, his body relaxing into hers. She just kept rubbing his back, not daring to speak another word.

“I’ve missed you Lydia,” he spoke after a view minutes, lifting his head to look in her eyes. “I really have.”

“I missed you too Derek,” she whispered, smiling sadly. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad friend.” Derek’s lips lifted in a little smirk.

“You know how you can make it up to me?” he asked, his tone teasing. “You can get me something to drink.” Lydia grinned, sitting up and rolling over him, trying to ignore the way her stomach clenched during the brief moment she straddled his hips. _Not thinking about that. Thinking about alcohol. Wine. Wine is good._

“I’ve got just the thing,” she said over her shoulder, scurrying towards the fridge. God knows she could use a drink too.

\--------------

Derek watched her go, looking younger than usual in her flannel pajama bottoms and oversized t-shirt. He’d normally be ashamed for crying, he was a grown man after all. But not with Lydia. She didn’t judge him, didn’t try to minimize his feelings. She made him feel safe.

“Have you ever had Great White?” she called from the kitchen. “It’s a local wine!” Derek rolled his eyes. Of course she was going to serve him wine.

“No,” he growled, sitting up on the couch. “But beggars can’t be choosers.”

Lydia appeared in front of him, holding out a giant glass of white wine towards him. He took it from her, taking a sip. It was sweet, and went down quite easy. “Good,” he nodded, smiling when she curled next to him on the couch.

“So I changed my major to Business,” she said suddenly, taking another gulp of wine.

“Have you told your dad?” Derek grinned, his heart jumping when he realized that meant she wanted to do the lumberyard thing.

“No…” she pursed her lips. “I’m gonna tell him as a Christmas present.” Derek smiled and drank some more wine, kind of surprised that the glass was almost gone. But Lydia was already topping it off for him, her own glass empty. This was going to go downhill fast.

“I went on a date with Jennifer last week,” he admitted, enjoying the flash of jealousy that Lydia quickly masked.

“How’d that go?” her voice was forced, and she gulped down half her wine. Derek chuckled.

“Terrible,” he ran a hand through his hair. “Absolutely terrible.” When Lydia started to laugh, her giggles infectious, he knew they would be okay.

Somehow they ended up in her bed, leaned against the headboard as the Notebook ( _why? why?_ ) played in the background.

“More wine pleaseeee!” Derek chirped, holding his glass towards Lydia. She grabbed the bottle from the bedside table, holding it upside down and shaking it.

“It’s gone,” her eyes were huge, her bottom lip trembling. “Wait! I got jus da thing!” She held up a finger, grinning widely as she drunkenly scrambled off the bed. “Oh my God, it’s hot in here.” she groaned as she stumbled towards the kitchen. Derek’s eyes widened as she pulled her t-shirt over her head and tossed it onto the floor. “Come on Der,” she bit her lip, looking at him over her shoulder. “Don’t be left out.”

And then she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Derek to hastily remove his own t-shirt. He was grinning sloppily, his imagination already running wild. There was the sound of bottles clanging in the kitchen, the fridge opening and closing, and then chopping.

“What are you doing!” He yelled, images of Lydia drunkenly chopping her fingers off coming to mind. He tried to move off the bed, the room tilting and swirling as he shifted. And then she was back, a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses in one hand, a bowl of lime slices and a salt shaker in the other.   
“Let’s do shots!” she giggled, climbing clumsily onto the bed, crawling around on her knees until she straddled his thighs. “Hold these.” She shoved the shot glasses at him, grinning goofily as she twisted the top of the bottle of tequila. Derek didn’t care that the alcohol sloshed everywhere, running down his hands and splashing onto his bare chest. He was too focused on Lydia, and the sound of her giggles, and the way she was looking at him from only inches away. “This is how you do it,” she instructed, setting the bottle down on her bedside table. “Put the salt on your hand.” She licked the back of her hand, Derek already wishing she was doing a variety of other things with her tongue, and then she shook some salt onto it. “So it goes, salt, tequila, lime.” He nodded at her, finding it difficult to focus as she quickly licked the salt from her hand, grabbed a shot and threw it back, then grabbed a lime from the bowl, biting it as her face puckered from the sourness. “Your turn!” She was grinning still, her red hair piled on top of her head, her eyes already a little wild from all the alcohol.

“Okay…” he handed her the remaining shot glass, so that he could sprinkle salt on the back of his hand. Then he licked it, taking a deep breath before slurping down the burning tequila. He followed it up with a lime, enjoying the way Lydia giggled at the faces he made.

“Oooo I have an idea!” She was smirking at him now, reaching out a hand and pushing at his chest until he leaned back against the headboard. Derek’s heart was slamming in his chest as he watched her lean over him and shake salt onto the curve where his neck met his shoulder. Seeming proud of herself, Lydia poured herself a shot and handed it to Derek. “Don’t spill…” she cautioned, and Derek simply nodded, his body already tingling in anticipation.

And then her tongue was tracing across his skin, her mouth lingering, sucking at his neck. Derek moaned quietly, too drunk to even care anymore. Lydia giggled and sat back on her heels downing the shot and biting into a lime.

“Your turn handsome,” she cooed, her lids heavy as she looked up at him. Derek bit his lip, slowly filling up a shot glass and handing it to Lydia.

‘Don’t spill,” he repeated her words, his stomach already burning with heat. Reaching out, he slid the strap of her sports bra down her shoulder, then shook out salt onto the same spot she had on him. Derek took his time, leaning towards her slowly, listening as her breaths grew shallow. And he finally had her skin against his lips, his hand cradling the back of her head, fingers slipping into her hair. She groaned quietly, tilting her head and giving him more access, encouraging him as his lips moved up her throat.

“Shot,” she giggled, pushing gently against him. “Take the shot!” Rather reluctantly Derek pulled back, closing his eyes as he sucked down the liquor. His eyes popped open, scanning frantically for the limes.

“Lime! Where’s the lime?” he was giggly and drunk and not at all prepared when Lydia grinned, revealing a slice of lime between her teeth. Her eyes were daring him to take it from her, and Derek was too drunk to think this whole thing through.

So he kissed her. And she smiled against his mouth, pulling back only to spit the lime onto the floor, before she kissed him again. It was warm and sloppy and better than he’d imagined as he pulled her closer to him, not happy until her could feel skin on skin. Her hands were in his hair and sliding up his chest and she was moaning into his mouth and rubbing against him and Derek had to wonder if maybe he’d fallen asleep and was dreaming.

But the sound of the salt shaker and shot glasses hitting the floor, and the way that Lydia laughed so hard she had to lay down, convinced him it was reality.

“You’re really… sexyyy,” Lydia slurred, reaching for his shoulder and weakly pulling him towards her. “Keep kissing me.” She ordered, lifting her head until she could reach his mouth, sucking his bottom lip gently. Derek groaned, wishing he wasn’t so drunk, and she wasn’t so drunk, and then maybe they could actually accomplish something without the bedroom spinning around them. But all too soon their moans of pleasure turned into groans of discomfort, and Derek found himself flat on his back, with Lydia’s head on his chest as they both squeezed their eyes shut.

“Make it stop spinning,” Derek mumbled, still brushing his fingers through her hair.

“I can’t,” Lydia whispered. “You do it.”

“I can’t either.” Derek sighed, just praying to God he didn’t throw up.

“Yes you can,” Lydia’s voice was dropping, growing sleepy. “You’re my hero, you can do anything.” And then she rolled onto her side, snuggling against him and pulling the blankets over herself. Derek played back her words in his head, wondering if he could believe them… And hoping that he’d remember this night in the morning… and maybe forever.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, this was shamelessly inspired by episode 2x15 (The Maternal Capacitance) of the Big Bang Theory. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!! There's gonna be another couple bumps in the road for these two but they're on their way to happiness, don't worry! :)
> 
> XOXO - B


	24. Maintain the Pain

"Lydia," someone was talking to her, their voice way too loud. "Lydia wake up." With a groan she forced her eyes open, instantly regretting it as a headache hit her like a ton of bricks. "Hey, I gotta go to work." She finally focused in on the single hottest human being on the face of the planet, sitting shirtless on the edge of her bed. Derek Hale.

"No, stay..." She groaned, tugging on his hand as she burrowed into her pillows. Derek chuckled lowly, his cool fingers brushing her hair away from her face.

"Do you remember last night Red?" He asked. Lydia tried to focus, tried to remember, tried to just think.

"Noooo," she groaned, tugging harder on Derek's hand. "Come snuggle with me. I feel like shit. Pleaseeeee Derek!"

Derek sighed, his fingers still caressing her face.

"I can't Lyds," he murmured, and the slight sadness (well, what she could decipher through her pounding headache) had her forcing her eyes back open. He looked slightly disappointed, his eyes big and silvery green this morning.

"What's the matter," she grumbled, holding a hand against her forehead. "You hungover too?" An image of them finishing off a bottle of wine flashed through her head.

"Yeah, a bit." He was lying, she could tell. But then he stood and tugged a shirt over his head, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Call me later." He murmured. And then he was gone.

 

When she woke again three hours later, she was curled warmly into her blankets, a giant goofy smile on her face (even though her head _still_ hurt). Derek had kissed her. She'd kissed him. And it had been hot. Who knew she could come up with a plan to get him to literally lick salt off her neck. _Ohhhh fucking boy_. And she wanted more. She wanted him to come back and slowly drag her underwear off her body and kiss every single inch of her tingling skin. Her phone rang on her bedside table and she reached for it, answering it without checking who it was.

"Hello?" She mumbled.

"Hey Red," she grinned at the sound of Derek's voice, little tingles of desire running through her body.

"Are you coming back to see me?" She asked, trying to sound sultry, but it came out more gravelly since she hadn't really spoken at all in hours.

"No," he chuckled.

"Hey? Do you remember last night?" She asked, suddenly wondering if he felt the same way. Derek hesitated a moment, the only sound she could hear was his breathing.

"Uh... Not really?" He said finally, Lydia's heart breaking only a little bit.

"Oh."

"Do you?" He asked, sounding hopeful. Or maybe she was imagining things.

"Oh. Um no, not really." She lied, not sure if she imagined his sigh on the other end. "So what's up?"

"Right," Derek cleared his throat, and Lydia was distracted, thinking about how badly she wanted to kiss up his neck and feel his stubble on her skin and just... "Hello? Red? You listening?"

"Huh yeah what?" She stuttered, trying to focus. "Sorry what?"

"I said, I think I left my sweatshirt in your apartment." He said slowly, voice full of amusement.

"Oh, okay!" She answered, her mind already slipping back into her fantasy.

"So you can bring it to me when you come home?" He said slowly.

"Mhmm," Lydia agreed softly, imagining that Derek was kissing slowly up her inner thigh.

"Ok... You're being weird so uh, I'll talk to you later."

"Kay... bye,”

“Bye Lyds.” And then he was gone, leaving Lydia to daydream in her bed alone.

\------

She wore his sweatshirt to bed for the next week, burying her nose in the fabric and pretending that he was cuddled beside her. They texted almost every day, just mundane things about school and the lumberyard, and Cheryl and Jordan being annoying pain in the asses (well, that was mostly Derek). But that night, the Drunken Fantasy Night as Lydia liked to call it, was _never_ spoken about. Ever. Lydia thought about it all the time, relived it, dreamed about it, came up with alternate scenarios. She was becoming obsessed.

More than anything, she wished Derek remembered. Or would admit that he remembered. Because she wanted to talk about it! And reenact it… mostly reenact it. But instead of saying anything, Lydia acted like everything was normal between them. She returned his sweatshirt when she went home for Thanksgiving, and dragged him along with her to go shopping on Black Friday. (Which he, of course, was not at all pleased about. But Lydia had found that while his demeanor scared away any men out shopping, his smile could charm any woman into handing over anything that Lydia wanted…)

They’d spent most of the weekend together, just being around each other, but Derek never brought up that night. So Lydia suffered in silence, spacing out in daydreams involving Derek and a lot less clothes. And then he’d snap his fingers in front of her face and raise a perfect eyebrow at her, and she’d blush and make excuses and hate herself for not taking any action.

But there was something there. Or at least, she convinced herself there was. She could feel it whenever he touched her, his hand on the small of her back, his arm slung over her shoulders, their fingers brushing more often than normal. There was a spark, an electric current. It had always been there, she’d felt it the first day she met old grumpy pants in her father’s office. But now it had been awakened, almost as if she wanted him so bad, her body was craving his touch.

And it was TORTURE. Absolute torture.

 

So when the time came for CM Lumber’s annual Christmas Party at the Martin house, Lydia was ready to make the leap and just go for it. And by going for it, she meant dragging Derek into an empty room and making out with him for three hours, give or take. She didn’t really have much more to her plan, other than that she had a gorgeous dress to wear, and since she was at her parents’, she wouldn't be drunk, so there’d be no excuses.

She was curling her hair for the party when she got a phone call from Malia.

“Lyds, we got a problem.” she whispered. Lydia frowned at the phone. Malia and Jordan were now _‘friends’_ whatever the hell that meant. But regardless of their status, Jordan was bringing Malia as his date to the Christmas party.

“What are you talking about?” Lydia asked. “And why are you whispering?”

“Because I’m in Jordan’s bathroom,” she answered with a hiss. “And Derek is bringing a date.”

“What!” Lydia’s heart began to pound in her chest, her hands getting sweaty. “Who is it?”

“I dunno?” Malia sounded freaked out. “Her name’s like Katie or something.”

“Oh my God! I can’t believe this!” Lydia moaned. “Just keep me posted, I’ll figure something out.” She hung up the phone before Malia could respond, her hands shaking. This was not how tonight was supposed to go! Why would he bring a date in the first place? Where had he even found this girl?

Not about to be the only dateless person at this party, she called Stiles for back up.

“Lyds, I’m kinda busy right now.” He said as he answered the phone.

“But Stiles!” she whined.

“Tonight’s date night Queenie, you know that.” he said, his smirk audible.

“Alright whatever.” she hung up and dialed Scott, huffing when he answered on the first ring.

“I’m out to eat too,” Scott laughed, the sound of Stiles’ chuckle could be heard through the line. “And don’t bother calling Isaac, cause he’s here too.”

“Are you kidding me?” Lydia groaned, fighting the urge to bang her head on the table. She could hear people starting to arrive downstairs. This was a disaster. “How dare you guys hang out without me!”

“Well maybe you should get a boyfriend,” Allison had somehow got a hold of the phone. “And we all know you have the big party tonight!”

“Yeah well, Derek’s bringing a date.” she mumbled, trying not to cry and mess up her make-up.

“So you decided to call everybody else’s boyfriends to come rescue you?”

“...Yes?”

“Lydia, just go down there and be the fab bad bitch that you are! You’ll have the dumbass feeling like an idiot for bringing another girl.” Allison always had been good a pep talks.

“Okay,” Lydia sighed, forcing herself to hold her chin high in the mirror. “Thanks Allie.”

“Anytime babe, now go show him what he’s been missing.”

 

And that’s just what Lydia did. She finished curling her hair so that it hung in perfect ringlets down her back. She slipped into the green velvet dress that was cut low across her chest and showed quite a bit of leg. Then she stepped into a pair of gold pumps.

“I look good,” she said to herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“As much as I agree with that statement,” Malia’s voice came from her doorway. “It’s kind of weird that you’re talking to yourself.”

“Hey Li,” Lydia smiled at her friend. “Come on, I’ve got some schmoozin’ to do.”

 

She could feel Derek’s eyes on her as she and Malia walked down the stairs. He was giving her an approving look, one arm around a tall blonde while he stood chatting with Jordan. Sniffing, Lydia pretended she didn’t care about anything, sweeping over to them and kissing Jordan on the cheek and hugging Derek with one arm. She forced a smile when she was introduced to Kate, who Derek had gone to summer camp with as a kid ( _honestly, what the fuck Derek?_ ). And then she’d excused herself, saying that she needed to find her mom and make sure everything was ok.

Which she did. She might have flirted with every guy she came across along the way, handing out kisses, hugs and winks like candy. By the time she found her mom, she had become the center of attention, every man in the room watching her every move. Derek was glowering by the snacks, drinking angrily from a cup of punch. _And that’s what I call a success._

So Lydia laughed and danced and allowed her father to drag her around with him for a while. And she felt good. Well, fake good… or smug was probably a better way to describe it. She still ached for Derek, and she was definitely still pissed that he brought some chick with him to her house. But she was successfully pushing those feelings down deep inside her, riding out the high of being the center of attention.

That was, until she saw Derek leading Kate down the hallway, disappearing around the corner.

It was like the world was crashing down around her. She couldn’t be there anymore. Not with hot tears pushing against her back of her eyes and her lips trembling. So she disappeared. She slipped away unnoticed, grabbing her coat from the closet and the keys for her dad’s truck, which he had parked on the road in case her mom needed to run to the store. No one said anything to her as she slipped out the front door, breaking into a run in her high heels.

Her dad’s truck was loud, but the party was louder, and she was sure no one would notice the noise. She sat shivering for a moment, her breath coming out in puffs as she waited for the truck to warm up. _Where can I even go?_

In the end she decided to go to Laura’s bar. It was warm there. And she could sit alone and no one would care.

There were eyes on her as soon as she walked in. Young girl in a short dress and high heels… she should've known better. But some of the regulars recognized her, and soon whispers of ‘Charlie’s daughter’ and ‘that Hale kid’s girl’ followed her to the bar, protecting her from any advancements.

“What are you doing here?” Laura asked, her brows knitting together. “Aren’t you supposed to be at a party?” Lydia shrugged out of her coat and laid it across the stool beside her.

“Do you have hot chocolate?” She asked instead of answering, knowing already that Laura wouldn’t serve her alcohol. She took her business and it’s livelihood too seriously for that.

“Seriously?” Laura raised her brow, an expression that was all too familiar.

“Please?” Lydia begged, smiling when Laura turned away with a huff. “You’re the best!” She called after her, watching as she walked back to the kitchen and returned moments later with a mug.

“Hold on,” she said, stopping Lydia from touching it. She pulled a can of whipped cream out from under the bar and loaded it up, pushing the mug towards her with a smile. “Am I you’re favorite Hale or what?”

“Definitely,” Lydia replied, realizing too late that she had maybe infused a little too much passion and honesty into that statement. Laura cocked her head, a question forming in her eyes. But then she was called to the other end of the bar. Even so, her eyes were on Lydia, watching her, as she filled pints with golden beer.

“What did my idiot of a brother do know?” she asked when she returned, her expression kind. Lydia sighed and sipped at her hot chocolate.

“He brought a date to the party.” she said finally, deciding to just tell Laura the truth. Derek’s sister frowned, then reached across the bar to pat her hand gently.

“Like I said, he’s an idiot. And if I know him, he’s probably realizing that for himself right about now.” She smiled gently. “There’s a cutie over there making eyes at you, why don’t you go dance a few?”

Lydia glanced over her shoulder, and indeed, there was a cutie looking at her. Not as cute as Derek but…

“Thanks Laura,” she grinned. “You really are my favorite Hale.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the angst will end soon! Thank you all for reading! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	25. Sunshine Mixed With A Little Hurricane

“Where’s Lydia?” Malia was tugging on Jordan’s arm, a slightly frantic look in her eyes. Derek frowned, glancing around the party, trying to pick her red curls out from the masses. He could see Natalie in the kitchen, and Kate coming back from the bathroom down the hall, and Charlie laughing on the couch. But no Red.

“I’m gonna go check her room,” Derek offered, not caring that Jordan and Malia shared a knowing look. He took the steps two at a time, making his way to her now familiar bedroom. The door was open, and the bed was empty. He checked the spare room and the bathroom just in case, but she was no where to be found. Deciding he must’ve missed her downstairs, he turned back around, eyes scanning as he descended the steps. She was gone. Why would she leave like that? His phone buzzed in his pocket, a text from Laura.

**LH: what kind of jackass move have you pulled now kid?**

He frowned. What the hell?

**DH: what do you mean?**

It took her a few minutes to respond, so Derek continued to search the first floor of the house, thinking maybe she was just hiding somewhere.

**LH: Because the love of your life is hanging out at my bar instead of with you**

Derek groaned. What was Lydia doing? Why would she… Oh. So his plan to make her jealous had worked maybe a little too well. But he still hadn’t done anything to royally piss her off enough so she’d have to leave. He was just… trying to make her realize her feelings for him.

He had to go talk to her.

“Kate,” he touched her elbow, drawing her attention to him. “I uh, gotta go take care of something. Jordan will take you home.”

“I will?” Jordan asked, wilting under Derek’s glare. “Yeah, I will.” he grinned at Kate, his eyes wary on Derek. But Derek ignored them, marching to the closet and grabbing his jacket, and heading out the door.

He got more and more annoyed as he drove to Laura’s. Lydia didn't have to just leave like that! It was kind of childish honestly. She could’ve sucked it up, or just said something instead of running away. Oh yeah, the two of them were going to have a nice chat tonight.

When he walked into the bar, his annoyance amplified intensely. Lydia was out on the dance floor, slow dancing with some punk ass looking kid to some old Brad Paisley. Jealousy couldn’t even begin to describe what he was feeling. But then she saw him, and her eyes immediately filled with betrayal and tears, and she tore away from the kid, walking as fast as she could towards the bathrooms.

Derek followed her, ignoring the whispers that followed him just like he ignored the ‘Ladies Room’ sign on the door.

“What the hell is going on?” he growled, locking the door behind him. Lydia crossed her arms.

“Why don’t you tell me?” she hissed, voice full of attitude even as black tears ran down her cheeks.

“What are you talking about Lydia?” he asked, getting more and more frustrated.

“What am I talking about?” she chuckled darkly. “How about how you decided to bring a fucking date to the Christmas party? How about how you decided to disappear with her in my fucking house? How about how you’ve been lying about not being able to remember that night in my apartment? How about how I’m in fucking love with you and you don’t even know?” She was crying hard now, make-up smeared all around her eyes. Derek stared at her for a moment, feeling like his brain had stopped working. He didn’t respond well to emotional women.

“I didn’t disappear with Kate. I was showing her the bathroom.” he clarified quietly. Lydia rolled her eyes, wiping at her face with a paper towel.

“Out of all the things I just said, that’s the one you go with.” she shook her head. “I’m going back dancing.” Then she tried to push past him, her jaw set.

He almost let her go.

She’d even pulled open the door. And then her words echoed in his mind. _I’m in fucking love with you and you don’t even know!_ Oh... OH.

Derek reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulled her back into the bathroom.

“What the fuck Hale?” she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

“Stop saying fuck.” he hissed, trying to focus while all his preconceived notions about Lydia and her feelings were crashing around him. “It turns me on.”

And then he kissed her.

She only froze for a moment before melting into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Derek pushed her up against the door, his blood thrumming in his veins as she moaned low  in her throat. And then she was kissing him back, her fingers tugging on his hair, her teeth nipping at his lips and then soothing the bites with her tongue. Oh yeah, this was even better when he was sober.

He cautiously let his hand slide over her hips to her bare thighs.

“Lift me.” Lydia ordered against his mouth. Derek did as she asked, curling his hands around the backs of her thighs and pulling her up into him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he moaned, wanting her closer. He moved from her mouth to her jaw, smirking against her soft skin when she tilted her head, exposing her neck to him. “If I knew swearing would result in this,” Lydia’s voice was breathy. “I would’ve said _fuck_ a lot more.” She was rocking her hips against his, little moans escaping with each breath she took. Her hands were tearing at his shirt, fumbling with the buttons and yanking it out of the waistband of his jeans. And then she was touching him, her soft little fingers sending chills through his body. Derek continued to kiss her neck and exposed chest, licking and biting and sucking and not caring if he left marks. She was probably going to kill him… but that was a problem for another day. One hand gripped her ass, the other caressing her breasts through her velvet dress.

“We’re not gonna really do this are we?” Lydia said suddenly, her body stilling in his arms. Derek felt his heart stop, anxiety starting to twist in his chest. _This has got to be one cruel joke._

‘What do you mean?” he murmured, not daring to meet her eyes.

“I mean, it’s one thing to make out and maybe do a little dry humping in a bar bathroom but…” when she paused he looked up at her, heart starting again at the sight of her smile. “With the rate this is going, and the amount of time I’ve spent thinking about how this was going to go… I’d rather not… you know, do _it_ in a bathroom, well…” she bit her lip, “for the first time anyways.”

Derek kissed her. Softer this time, slowly.

“What was that for?” she asked, her voice breathless. He just smiled and pressed his lips to hers again.

“Let’s go back to the party,” he suggested, stepping back from the door and setting her on her feet. Lydia pouted for a moment, her lips bright pink and a little swollen from being kissed.

“We could also just go continue this in your truck?” she offered, mischief glinting in her eyes. Derek smiled and shook his head. As tempting as that was, he had other plans. Long term, forever and ever, happily ever after plans. And he knew from experience that those kind of plans didn’t start off by having sex (probably really hot sex) in the front seat of his truck.

“So bathrooms are out, but trucks are ok?” he teased, grasping her hand in his and leading her back out into the bar. She just scoffed and gave him a dirty look (well, a watered down version of her usual glare).

They were getting some weird looks, and all too late Derek realized that his shirt was untucked and half unbuttoned, and Lydia’s hair was a tangled mess. He flushed and hastily fixed himself (it’s kind of difficult with one hand, but _nothing_ could convince him to let go of Lydia). He watched with amusement as three of the regulars slapped twenties down onto the bar, pushing them towards a smirking Laura.

“Well, well, well…” His sister gloated, looking all too pleased with herself. “I plan on taking all the credit for this relationship!” Derek rolled his eyes as he helped Lydia into her coat.

“You don’t get credit for anything,” he grumbled, even though he was unable to force the smile off his face.

“I’ll give you a little,” Lydia laughed, holding her fingers up an inch apart before turning her face up to smile at him. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, caressing her lips with his thumb before leaning down and kissing her softly. He was surprised when she lifted an arm and wrapped it around his neck, anchoring herself to him and running her tongue along his bottom lip.

“Okay!” Laura clapped her hands. “Break it up! Get out of here! I do not need to see that!”

Lydia giggled against his lips, before dropping back to her feet.

“Thanks Laura,” she murmured, before looking back up at Derek with those wide eyes. She nodded towards the door, and then pulled him towards it, earning a round of applause from the bar patrons.

The worst night ever, had officially turned into the best night EVER.

\--------

Lydia was floating. Or that’s what it felt like.

Sitting in the middle of her Dad's truck, with Derek's hand on her thigh, it was... Pretty awesome.

"How come you said you didn't remember that night in my apartment?"  She asked cautiously, tracing a circle on the back of his hand.

"Cause you said you didn't remember... I thought you didn't?" Derek said quietly, his fingers tightening marginally on her thigh. Lydia chuckled quietly, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Oh I remembered all right... I've kind of been fantasizing about it ever since." Derek stopped at a red light, and Lydia peeked through her fingers to find him staring down at her with a slight smirk. "Wha-" the question was cut off with a kiss, his lips warm and rough against hers. His hands cupped either side of her face, holding her still as he kissed her breath away. Even with her eyes closed she could tell the light had changed, but Derek didn’t care, his lips dropping to her jaw. The car behind them started to honk, but Derek just flipped them off through the back window, chuckling slightly when they veered around the truck, horn blaring.

“That was probably a bad move in your dad’s truck,” he said, shifting back into his seat and pressing the gas.

“Yeah,” was all Lydia could say, her mouth still trying to catch up with her brain which was being taken over by hormonal reactions. _Get yourself together._ But she didn’t want to get herself together. She wanted to fall apart. Specifically, she wanted Derek to make her fall apart using his lips. And tongue. And hands. Everywhere. Her cheeks heated at the thought, and she pressed her thighs together, trying to dull her body’s reaction.

“Cheryl’s gonna have a field day,” she finally forced out a sentence, grimacing at the idea of seeing the older woman. “Hopefully she’ll have gone home already.”

“Are you kidding me?” Derek raised his eyebrows. “It’s barely eight o’clock, she’ll still be partying on with your mom, believe me.” She sighed and snuggled against his warm body. She knew she should care. She she be worried about what everyone would think of her disappearing like a drama queen, what they would think about her and Derek. But right now, all she could focus on was being happy.

 

“Pay up bitches!” Jordan crowed when Lydia and Derek walked in the house hand-in-hand. The remaining CM Lumber Co. employees begrudgingly began pulling money out of their wallets, glaring as Jordan snatched the bills from their hands.

“What exactly was your bet?” Derek growled, his glare almost frightening. But Lydia was more focused on Cheryl, who was clearing off the coffee table in the living room, looking delighted.

“That you two would get together before Christmas!” Jordan responded cheerily, marching toward Cheryl with his hands full of crumpled bills. Lydia followed him, eyes narrowed as he dumped the winnings on to the table.

“And just how exactly have you determined we’re together?” Derek asked, coming to stand beside Lydia with his arms crossed tightly.

“You mean besides the sex hair?” Cheryl asked, her bright red lips curling into what Lydia considered an evil grin. Lydia huffed, heat creeping up her neck as she tried to pat down her tangled mane.

“Cheryl!” she hissed, “You can’t just say that!” She glanced around, thankful that her parents seemed to be out of earshot.

“You should know by now that I say what I want sweet cheeks,” Cheryl winked at her. “And my partner here also happened to get a call from Ms. Hale when he was on his way back.”

Derek growled lowly, obviously not impressed with his sister’s loose lips.

“Here’s your cut,” Jordan pushed a stack of bills towards Cheryl. “Fifty-fifty, we get a hundred bucks each!”

“You made two hundred dollars off us?” Derek rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable.” He reached for Lydia’s hand. “Let’s leave these two crooks to count their loot.” She allowed him to lead her off towards her dad, glancing over her shoulder, she caught Cheryl’s gaze. When her friend raised her eyebrows, questioning if Lydia was okay, she grinned and sent her a thumbs up. She was more than okay. She was great. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And the angst is over! yay!!
> 
> Also, sorry for the little fake-out a few minutes ago... I posted it before I could check it over! 
> 
> I can't make any promises about updating over the holiday, so please know that I will finish this story, but it may have to wait until next week!
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> XOXO - B


	26. Rule #21: Lydia Likes It Rough

Christmas was only a few days away, and Lydia was jittery with excitement. She couldn’t wait to tell her dad that she wanted to continue with the family business. It was odd, once she had made her final decision, she instantly knew it was the right choice. She was doing it for her. Over the summer she had found her passion for her dad’s small business, and realized that she enjoyed being around people and doing business more than she enjoyed working in a lab all day. She knew people would think it was because of Derek. And part of it was because of him. But she had decided to change her major long before she’s fully come to terms with her feelings for Derek. He was just kind of icing on the cake.

At the thought her lips twitched up in the corner, mind wandering to much more naughty places where Derek and frosting existed in the same universe. She ripped a piece of tape off the roll, neatly finishing wrapping the gift she’d gotten for Cheryl.

“What are you smirking about?” Derek was leaning against the frame of her bedroom door, hands shoved in the pockets of his Carhartt jacket, hair and eyelashes damp with snow.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to…” she repeated his words from what seemed like ages ago, sticking a tag onto the box in her hands and carefully writing Cheryl’s name on it. Derek rolled his eyes.

“If that doesn't sound suspicious…”

With a grin Lydia pushed herself up off the floor and walked over to him, standing on her tiptoes and pecking his lips.

“Frosting…” she whispered in his ear, watching as a pink tinge appeared on his neck.

“Santa’s not gonna bring you any presents if you keep being so naughty,” he whispered back, hands circling her waist and pulling her closer.

“I’m not _being_ naughty,” Lydia giggled, his stubble scraping along her neck and shoulder making her squirm. “I’m just _thinking_ naughty…” Then one of his rough hands slipped up her thigh and beneath her skirt, cupping her sex. She moaned softly, pressing against his hand.

“Pretty sure _that_ was being naughty…” Derek was smirking as he pulled his hand away, leaving her wanting. “I’ll pick you up at eight.” He bit his lip, obviously finding amusement in her sexual frustration. “There’s something I need to show you.”

“It better be your fucking dick!” Lydia hissed after him, glaring at him when he winked over his shoulder.

This was so not cool. It’s been a week and a half since they’d had their little make-out session in the bathroom, and they still hadn’t done anything more than kiss. And Lydia had tried. She had tried to unbutton his pants, tried to get him to touch her boobs and tear off her clothes. She’d tried to seduce him every single time they were together. And it was working. She could see the physical evidence. But Derek was being stubborn. He said he didn’t want to rush anything. As if the whole past six months of sexual tension wasn’t enough of not rushing for him. Lydia was a sexual person, she _liked_ to have sex first and get to know you later. And God dammit, she _knew_ Derek pretty damn well.

Dropping back to the floor she continued wrapping presents, this time with a lot more annoyance than before. She had half a mind to completely deny him when he finally decided her wanted to do the dirty, but she knew she did not have nearly enough will power for that. Which was unfortunate, because she would _pay_ big dollars just to watch Derek get as frustrated as she was (and she was totally down for a little angry-pushed-up-against-the-wall type of action).

When eight o’clock rolled around, Lydia was still sufficiently miffed enough that she purposefully picked out her most difficult for sex outfit she could think of. Skin tight jeans (they’d be hard to get off), tall riding boots (again, hard to get off), and a sweater layered over a button down blouse (wicked hard to get off AND not all that sexy). At the sound of his truck in the driveway she pulled on her giant puffy parka and a pair of gloves, slipping outside and closing the door tightly behind her.

“Hey baby,” Derek was holding the passenger door of his truck open for her, and he scooped her into his arms when she got close enough, pressing a warm kiss to her lips. Lydia couldn’t help but melt a little as she kissed him back, but her eyes narrowed once he set her inside the truck.

“I’m still annoyed with you.” she grumbled, poking at his chest. Derek grinned, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

“Good.” he winked again ( _enough with the fucking winking!_ ) and closed the door, walking around to the other side of the truck.

“So where are we going?” she asked, refusing to slide over to the middle seat like she knew he wanted her too.

“It’s a surprise,” Derek replied cheerfully as he backed out of the driveway, Christmas music merrily playing from the radio. She shook her head, not at all impressed. Derek Hale didn’t do surprises and listen to Christmas music and wink at her every five minutes. Which could only mean one thing. He was up to something.

They drove in silence through the streets of town and then out towards Derek’s farm. Lydia’s right eye was starting to twitch from squinting at him too much, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“Stop looking at me like that Red,” he chuckled, finally breaking the silence. “You look like you’re gonna pop a blood vessel.” Lydia huffed and crossed her arms.

“Well then stop acting weird.” she grumbled, frowning slightly when they drove past the farm.

“I’m not acting weird,” Derek rolled his eyes. “I’m just happy.” He was slowing down and turning onto a driveway that Lydia had never noticed before. In fact, she wondered how long it had even been there.

“Where are we going?” she repeated the question, this time only getting a shrug in response. Huffing she turned her attention out the windshield, focusing on what she could see in the brightness illuminated by Derek’s headlights. They wound through the woods, old rock walls sometimes visible beneath the snow. If he thought she was gonna go hiking through the snow with him, that man had another thing coming. And then suddenly they were in a clearing, a new house illuminated by the headlights.

There were lights on inside, and through the windows Lydia could see bare walls and framing, ladders and saw dust and tools scattered around. It was big, two stories, with probably three or four bedrooms. Why in God’s name were they out at some random unfinished house… Her eyes widened, head whipping around to stare at Derek.

“Don’t even try to tell me…” she pointed a shaky finger at the house. Derek pursed his lips and shrugged as he turned off the truck.

“Okay, I won’t.” He was smirking as he climbed out, obviously enjoying his little moment. This couldn’t be… He must be thinking something different than her… or it’s all a big prank… Her door opened and she stared down at him, feeling like her internal processor was broken. “Care for a tour m’lady?” He asked, holding out one hand. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Lydia slipped her hand into his and jumped out of the truck, her boots hitting the snow with a soft thud.

Derek led her up onto the porch, pausing at the door as he unlocked it with a key… which was attached to his truck keys… which had to mean.

“You have a house?” she blurted, the wide grin on his face the only confirmation she needed. “How did you not tell me!” She shouted, allowing him to drag her inside. “How’d you keep this a secret! I thought you said no secrets!” Derek seemed to be ignoring her, walking deeper into the house. She stomped after him, going up the slightly sketchy unfinished stairs without a second thought. That man had some explaining to do.

But her anger faltered when Derek stooped over a fireplace, tossing a lit match into a pile of newspaper and logs. She was frozen in the doorway of what appeared to be a bedroom… Her eyes landed on a giant bed in the corner, covered with the warmest looking comforter and matching pillows she had ever seen. Definitely a bedroom… with a fireplace… and it was painted, the walls a light forest green that she had a sneaking suspicion matched his eyes. It seemed to be the only finished room in the house, the hardwood floors covered with a braided rug, nightstands with matching lamps on either side of the bed, curtains in the window, a dresser against one wall… Her eyes settled back on Derek, who was poking at the fire with a stick. He glanced at her over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows.

“Can I help you?” he asked, turning from the fire and slipping off his coat. Lydia opened her mouth, then closed it, her thoughts moving too fast to form them into coherent sentences. “Let me take your coat.” Derek stepped closer, slowly unzipping her parka and sliding it off her shoulders, his hands skimming over her curves as if it was an accident. But her body was already starting to thrum with excitement, and she was really regretting her earlier fashion choices.

“This is your house?” she asked finally, stepping closer to the fire as she pulled her gloves off her hands. He nodded, laying her coat with his over the top of the dresser.

“Yes.”

“How come you didn’t tell me?”

“I like to surprise you,” Derek shrugged, his fingers tugging on the loops of her jeans. “And I didn’t want to tell you until I knew I could finish it.” His hands ghosted over her hips before dropping to his sides. He dropped his chin towards his chest, staring at his boots for a moment. “So I didn't really have anything else planned for tonight…” he scuffed his toe lightly across the floor. “I figured I’d just give you a quick tour and bring you home…” He looked up at her through his lashes, perfect little grin on his face. “Unless you had other ideas…”

“You’re an idiot,” Lydia growled, her cheeks heating when he smiled wider. “Don’t even try to smoulder at me like that and then go and act like I’m the sex fi-” He cut her off with a kiss, sucking on her bottom lip as he tugged her flush against him. He deepened the kiss, Lydia tilting her head so that their faces could fit closer together, their tongues dancing against each other. She gasped when he grabbed her ass, fingers curling between the back of her thighs and pressing against the center seam of her jeans.

“Look who’s naughty now,” she mumbled, eyes fluttering closed as his lips trailed down her neck. Derek chuckled against her skin.

“You have no idea…” He released her, stepping back slowly until he could perch on the edge of the bed. His eyes were dark and heated, almost dangerous looking. And Lydia was eating it up. “Strip for me.”

“What.”

“You heard me… I know you wore those clothes on purpose. And now I’m gonna watch you take them off…” he smirked, doing that _thing_ with the chin dip and the smouldering eyes that made her feel weak in the knees. “Slowly.”

Lydia gulped, taking a couple of slow breaths. She could do this. Fixing what she hoped was a seductive smirk on her face, she stepped slowly towards the bed. Picking up her left foot she placed it next to him on the bed frame, never taking her eyes off his face as she leaned over and slowly unzipped her boot. She kicked it off, repeating the action with the other foot. Derek’s lips were parted slightly as he watched her, his hands fisted in the blanket beneath him.

She stepped back slightly, crossing her arms in front of her and pulling her sweater over her head. Grinning she tossed it at him, fighting the urge to ask him if she was going slow enough. She popped the button on her jeans, sliding the zipper down. She pushed one side down over her hip, trying not to make any faces about how tight the damn things were. It was _hard_ to be sexy sometimes. But she managed to push them down over her thighs, unable to hide a small giggle as she kicked them away from her. And then she couldn't stop giggling, not when she began to unbutton her shirt, not when Derek started smirking at her, not even when she let the sleeves slide down her arms and felt the shirt float to the floor behind her.

“Come here,” Derek chuckled, holding his arms out for her. “I know it’s bad when you still turn me on, even giggling like a crazy person.” She stood in front of him, hands resting on his shoulders as he pressed soft kisses to her bare stomach.

“You’re wearing too many clothes…” she whispered, her fingers trailing up his neck and into his soft hair.

“What are you gonna do about that?” Derek smirked up at her, his fingers slowly tracing along the waistband of her panties.

“You should know better than to tease me handsome,” she purred, sinking slowly to her knees and gazing up at him through her lashes. Curling the hem of his shirt in her fist, she slowly pushed it up his abdomen, kissing and sucking on the skin she revealed. Derek moaned and leaned back on his elbows, his abs tightening beneath her light touch.

“You’re right,” he panted, one hand twisting in her hair. “I should know better.” Lydia smirked against his skin, finally pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it away. She wasn’t about to give him the chance to stop her, so she quickly unbuttoned his jeans, frowning when she realized how difficult it would be to get them off when he was sitting. To her surprise, Derek stood and pushed his jeans and boxers off, kicking them quickly to the side. Without a second thought, Lydia wrapped her hand around his length, slowly licking up from the base to the tip. Derek actually whimpered, one hand fisting in her hair at the nape of her neck. She flicked her tongue across his tip, then took him into her mouth, loving the moans escaping from his mouth. Pressing his hand harder to the back of her head, she stared up at him, urging him to fuck her mouth.

“Fuck Lyds,” he breathed, hand tightening on the nape of her neck as he thrust slowly. Lydia just moaned against him, one hand resting against his lower stomach, the other squeezing his ass. Suddenly he pulled out of her mouth, legs trembling as he dragged her up to her feet. “I’m not about to come in your mouth babe.” He growled , pushing her gently onto the bed. Before she could even get comfortable, he was pulling at her panties, his fingers eagerly rubbing at her throbbing clit. His tongue soon followed, causing her legs to twitch and her body to arch off the bed. “You like that huh baby?” he murmured, looking up her body with those smouldering eyes that only made her insides clench. Lydia just whined softly, pushing her hips against his face. Derek chuckled again, returning to licking and sucking and making her just want to die.

He had three fingers inside of her, and she was so, so, close, when he pulled away, leaving her cold and wanting.

“What are you doing?”she groaned, pushing herself up onto her elbows. Derek smirked at her from across the room as he tossed a couple logs onto the fire. She admired the way the muscles in his arms bunched and contracted as he picked up the wood, doing nothing to ease the ache between her thighs.

“You had to do that right now?” she hissed, sinking back onto the pillows. She closed her eyes and sucked on her own fingers, before moving to press them against her heat. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…

“Ah, ah, ah,” Derek’s large hand caught hers before it reached it’s destination, his body warm as it covered hers. Lydia groaned and arched against him, wishing his length was inside of her instead of pressed against her belly. “Such a needy girl…” he chuckled, gathering her free wrist in his hand and pinning both of them over her head. She huffed in annoyance, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him closer to her. If anything, she just needed friction.

“Please Derek,” she begged, tilting her head as he kissed her neck, giving him as much access as he wanted.

“Please what?” he asked, slipping his free hand beneath her back and unhooking her bra. He moaned low in his throat before burying his face between her breasts, stubble scraping against sensitive skin and sending shocks of heat straight to her core.

“Derekkkk,”she whimpered. He just smirked up at her, his tongue flicking out across her nipple, causing her legs to tighten around him.

“Tell me what you want babe,” he coaxed, rolling her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Fuck me!” Lydia cried, not at all amused when Derek chuckled. “Fuck Derek come on!”

“Alright baby,” he captured her lips with his, kissing away any retort she might have thrown at him. He released her wrists, one of his hands cupping her face as the other reached between them, rubbing gently at her clit. “Ready?” he asked quietly, his forehead resting against hers. Lydia nodded, a soft moan escaping her lips as he slowly filled her. “You okay?”

“Yessss,” she hissed, her fingers gripping his lower back.

“You need to tell me if it-”

“Derek! Rule number whatever, Lydia likes it rough. Now shut up and fuck me!”

Apparently that was all he needed to hear, because he pulled out and slammed back into her, his hands finding her own and pinning them back to the sheets. It was a punishing pace and Lydia came almost immediately, already so close from before. But she’d barely rode it out before it was building again. Derek had slowed slightly, his thrusts deep and thorough.

“Fuck baby,” he moaned in her ear, his teeth scraping against her earlobe. “You’re so fucking good.” She just whimpered quietly, her fingernails digging into the backs of his hands with each thrust. Little moans and groans slipped from her lips each time he entered her, her eyes rolling back in her head as she climbed higher and higher. He dropped his head to her breast, sucking and biting as he continued to pound into her. Releasing one of her hands, he slipped his hand beneath her, lifting up her hips and changing the angle.

“Derek!” she cried out. He was hitting her G-spot, her hips now bucking up to meet his. “I’m gonna come again.” She announced, screwing her eyes shut and clutching at his hair with her free hand.

“Good…” Derek growled, his mouth returning to her neck. “I wanna hear you scream my name again.” Lydia whimpered in agreement, no longer able to form sentences. She could already tell this was gonna be a big one. “Fuck baby, you better come before me.” He gasped in her ear, his thrusts becoming erratic. And then he sunk his teeth into her shoulder, and for some reason, it sent Lydia flying over the edge.

“Derek!” she screamed his name, her body arching off the bed before collapsing, his large body becoming limp on top of her as he whispered her name.

They just laid together, arms and legs tangled together, bodies sticky and sweaty. But the fire crackling in the background cast a romantic glow over the room, and Lydia couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather be doing. Except maybe actually doing it… again. Derek slowly lifted his head, eyes wide as he stared down at her.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Lydia giggled, pulling his face back into her shoulder, trying to hide the way she was flushing.

“You can say that again!” she pressed a kiss into his hair, wiggling around beneath him under she was comfortable. She’d thought he’d fallen asleep when he didn’t answer, his breathing steady. And then she felt more than heard a faint whisper against her skin.

“Holy fuck.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this is a long freaking chapter... 
> 
> anyways, I hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	27. Santa Baby

“So are you gonna actually give me a tour now?” Lydia was propped up on his chest, looking sufficiently flushed and disheveled. Derek grinned, continuing to trace the pads of his fingers up and down her spine.

“Is that what you want?” he asked, cupping her ass with his other hand. She made a little noise low in her throat, biting her lip seductively.

“Among other things…” she giggled, before rolling off him and sitting at the edge of the bed. “Come on handsome, I wanna see this place.” Derek raised his eyebrows, tucking his arms behind his head, just watching her. Seeming to understand his intentions, she pushed herself up from the bed, searching around for a few minutes until she held up her underwear. Her bra followed her underwear, and then her blouse and jeans. Derek wanted to watch her get dressed every morning for the rest of his life. Not that it was morning. It was still night time. But whatever.

“Are you gonna get dressed?” she smirked, raising a brow while zipping up her boots. “Or are you just gonna ogle me for the next hour.”

“I’m working on it,” He sighed, rolling off the bed. “Just still not used to how hot my girlfriend is.” He reached for his briefs, quickly pulling them on and following with his jeans.

“So is that what I am? Your girlfriend?” Lydia’s tone made it seem like she was teasing, like she didn't care. But Derek knew better.

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” He looked up at her as he buttoned his jeans, hiding his apprehension behind a smirk. Lydia nodded, uncharacteristically shy for a moment. “Good.” He pulled on his shirt, laughing slightly. “You had me nervous for a minute there Red.”

“Like I could say no to you anyways,” she teased, stepping towards him and wrapping her arms around his waist. “I like this you know…” she tilted her chin up, smiling. “Being able to touch you whenever I want.” She kissed him quickly, before stepping back and tugging on his hand. “Come on!”

“Will you relax?” Derek tugged his hand back so that he could put on his shoes. “I can’t just go parading around barefoot I’ll-”

“Get a nail through your foot and I’ll have to bring your whiney ass to the emergency room.” Lydia finished for him, looking all too pleased with herself. “Rule number five, I remember.” Derek shook his head slightly, taking his time tying his boots just to irritate her. (Hey, annoying Lydia is more fun than it looks).

“Alright,” he straightened up and clapped his hands together. “Your tour guide is ready!” When she just raised her eyebrows at him, Derek dropped the bravado. “Alright fine. So this is the master bedroom, obviously…” he pushed open a door. “This is going to be the adjoining bathroom, but I have to wait until spring to get the plumbing done. And I’m waiting until I can get some cheap fixtures and stuff through the lumberyard.”

‘So my dad knows about this doesn’t he?” Lydia asked, pushing past him and surveying the future bathroom. _Our future bathroom._

“Well yeah,” Derek chuckled, pushing his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “Most of the lumber and stuff has been seconds or returns to the yard…” She turned to face him, eyes narrowed.

“Next room.” Derek obeyed her order, showing her out of the bedroom and into the upstairs hallway.

“There’s gonna be four bedrooms…” he explained, pointing towards the additional three door frames on the hall. None of them were finished yet, he still needed to get four matching doors, and to finishing putting drywall up before he could paint.

“What are you gonna do with that many bedrooms?” Lydia asked from down the hall, where she was peering into the last room on the right. He bit his lip, not wanting to scare her away. Most girls were overly romantic, and loved the idea of a guy planning his life with them. But Lydia was different. She was driven, independent, had defined career goals. She’s never really talked about being a mom. Or getting married. So… Derek was going to avoid telling her that he was planning on this house overflowing with kids and dogs and cats and maybe raising a couple of calves for his dad out back. Nope. That could wait until… well just some other time. “What’s the timeline on this anyway? How did I not even know it was happening?” She had moved on without an answer, her hands cupped against a window as she looked at the backyard.

“I cleared the lot last spring.” he offered, reaching for her hand and pulling her back towards the stairs. “They dug the foundation and septic system and poured the concrete over the summer.” She huffed at this, obviously not pleased that she had been kept out of the loop. “Started framing in about September I guess.”

“Wait.” she paused on the stairs behind him. “Are _you_ building the house? Like nailing the nails and shit?” Her eyes were wide with disbelief. Derek chuckled again, continuing down the stairs.

“My uncle is doing most of the carpentry work. But I help as much as I can. Me and Jordan worked here on weekends this fall before the weather got bad.”

“Jordan knows about this too!” she hissed, finally unfreezing and hopping down the remaining steps. “That’s really impressive though.” Her voice was softer now, matching the smile playing across her lips. “That you can literally build a house.” Derek shrugged, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the compliment. He just… didn’t take them well.

“Yeah I guess. Anyways, this will be the living room, and the kitchen is over here and…” He paused, realizing that Lydia was no longer following him. “What?”

“You do know that you’re like… amazing right?” she asked, her face serious. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms defensively. “You basically run a company and you’re only twenty five. You do your own mechanical work, you can dance like nobody's business, and you’re really, really, good at sex. And you built your own fucking house!” Her little hand fisted in the fabric of his shirt, pulling him down to her. “And you have figured out how to handle me. That’s a pretty big accomplishment.”

“Lydia I-” she pressed a finger to his lips with a glare.

“I love you Derek.” she stated matter-of-factly. Derek smiled, leaning closer and capturing her lips with his.

“I love you too Red.” he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “You’re perfect for me.”

\-------------------------

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

 

With a groan Lydia rolled over in bed, burying her face into her warm pillows. Her warm, hard, skin textured pillows. _Oh shit._

“Lydia! It’s nine o’clock Christmas morning! Get your ass out of bed!” Her mom was yelling from the other side of her bedroom door. “If you’re not downstairs in ten minutes, I’m sending your father up here! And I’m taking back all your presents!”

“I’m up!” Lydia yelled back, sitting up and shaking Derek violently. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” She hissed, heart hammering in her chest.

“Where’s the fire?” Derek grumbled, rubbing a hand across his bare chest and stretching the other arm over his head.

“It’s Christmas morning!” she smacked his arm. “And you’re still in my bed!” Smack. “And you should be home with your family!” Smack. “And my dad will kill us both if he sees you!” Smack. Derek’s eyes finally shot open, the gravity of the situation must’ve finally made an impact.

“Fuck.” He whispered, roughly pushing the covers off himself and jumping out of bed. “My truck’s parked right on the road!” He was jumping around, trying to pull on his jeans and shirt. “Your dad is so gonna kill me! What if he already saw it?”

“I don’t know!” Lydia flapped her arms, only starting to find the situation humorous. “Come on you gotta go!” She climbed out of bed, pushing his boots towards him and hopping from foot to foot. “Go!” She pushed him towards the window, shivering when he opened it, the wind cold. He had one leg out when he paused, reaching for her.

“Merry Christmas Baby.” He grinned, that panty dropping, perfect smile that made her knees weak. “Gimme a kiss.” And then he dragged her into him, his lips rough and needy against hers. And then he was gone, climbing down onto the porch roof and jumping to the snow covered ground. She stared after him, watching as he climbed into his truck. She would’ve continued until he disappeared from view, but it occurred to her that she should be distracting her father instead.

Pulling on a sweatshirt she raced out of her bedroom, pounding extra loudly down the stairs.

“Merry Christmas!” she cheered, sliding into the living room and practically jumping onto the couch beside her dad. Charlie looked unimpressed, raising an eyebrow over his coffee mug.

“So glad you could join us,” he drawled, lips lifting into the tiniest of smiles. “I thought it was gonna be New Years by the time you got up.”

“Dad,” Lydia sighed, fluffing her hair. “You know I’ve got to get my beauty sleep!” She ignored her mother’s chuckling, which suggested she may have known about a certain hunk spending the night. “But let’s get down to business and open presents!” She bounced off the couch, dropping to her knees in front of the tree. Rustling through the gifts, she grinned when she found the one she’d wrapped for her dad. “You first Dad-o!” She handed it to him from her seat on the floor, grinning up at him with wide eyes.

Charlie frowned slightly, perhaps a little concerned for his daughter’s well being. He carefully unwrapped the box, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. It took all Lydia had to stop herself from bouncing up and down on her knees with excitement. Making her dad proud was her favorite thing… Well, other than _everything_ concerning Derek.

“What is this? A treasure map?” her dad chuckled, carefully unrolling the paper. He frowned, tilting his head in a confused manner. “Lydia?” He lifted his eyes to her, brows raised in question.

“It’s my transcript!”

“I see that… but good grades from you hardly counts as a Christmas present sweetie…” he looked between her and the paper, perplexed.

“Maybe you should check out the information at the top…” she suggested, holding a finger to her lips when her mother gasped. “Shush mom, he needs to figure it out.”

“I’m so con… oh!” Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Does this mean what I think it means!” He held the paper high in the air, face splitting into a grin.

“If you think it means I want in on the lumberyard… then yes.” Lydia smiled, giggling when her dad whooped with joy, standing up from the couch and pulling her up into a hug.

“Aw kid,” He exclaimed into her hair, his arms wrapped tightly around her. “I never thought I’d see this day! Come ‘ere honey!” He pulled Natalie into his embrace as well, the whole Martin family sharing a Christmas morning hug. “I might even let the fact that Hale slept in your bed last night slide…”

“Oh my god.” Lydia’s face started to burn, squirming as both her parents laughed and hugged her tighter.

“Although he’s gonna have to learn the house rules if he wants to keep dating you.”

“Believe me,” Lydia laughed under her breath. “Derek loves rules.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Kind of short, but I am winding this story down... I will probably do a couple of chapters that take place in the future to wrap things up! Thank you everyone for reading!! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	28. That's How I Know You Love Me

“Somebody’s in trouble!” Jordan burst into Derek’s office, looking sadistically gleeful.

“What are you talking about?” Derek grumbled, shooting his friend a glare.  

“The big boss man wants to talk to you!” Jordan wiggled his eyebrows. “And he didn’t seem too happy!” Derek rolled his eyes as if he wasn’t worried in the least. Jordan didn’t need to know that he was quaking in his boots. The minute he’d started dating Lydia, his relationship with Charlie had shifted slightly. Charlie wasn’t mean to him or anything, and he definitely still liked and respected him but… Derek knew he was _always_ watching.

“You’re exaggerating.” He grunted, pushing himself to his feet anyways. Shoving Jordan out of his way he headed up to Charlie’s office.

“Break a leg!” He ignored Jordan’s encouragements, quickening his step to get away from him.

 

“Close the door,” Charlie looked up from his paperwork as soon as Derek stepped into the office. He didn’t look mad per se… just… serious. Derek nodded and closed the door behind him, carefully sitting in his usual chair. “How long have you been dating my daughter?”

Derek’s eyes widened. _Oh boy_. He should’ve seen this coming. Lydia had taken the day off; she was visiting Malia, who had moved up to Maine. Charlie was obviously just as afraid of his daughter as Derek was, and had grabbed this opportunity to ‘speak’ with him without any interference.

“Almost a year and a half,” he responded cautiously, not really sure if that was a good or bad answer.

“Hmmm…” Charlie was staring at him across the desk, the fingers of his left hand dancing across his chin. For the first time ever, Derek squirmed under his boss’s gaze. “What are your plans for the future?”

“I was planning on working here, you know… kind of taking on some more responsibility like we talked about last summer.” Derek _knew_ that wasn’t what Charlie meant, but he was trying his damndest not to have this conversation with him.

“I meant your personal future. With my daughter.” Charlie clarified, raising his eyebrows. Fuck.

“Um.” Taking a deep breath, Derek stared up at the ceiling. How was he even going to say this. “Lydia is my future. I’d like to marry her. I just need to… you know, ask her.”

“What’s holding you back?” Charlie was smirking now. “Fear or common sense?”

“I don’t - a little of - no, you know what? It’s fear.” Derek finally met Charlie’s gaze. “Your daughter scares the crap out of me!”

“Good.” Charlie chuckled, and Derek finally relaxed. “She’s just like her mother that one… So you gonna ask my permission or what?”

There goes the whole relaxed thing. Derek gulped, trying not to show his panic.

“Um, well uh. I don’t exactly know how to do this? But I’d like to marry your daughter?”

“Why?” Charlie had to be enjoying this. Had to.

“Uh…” Why was it that he knew there was a million reasons he wanted to be with Lydia forever, but when her father asked, all he could think of was how hot she was and how good she was in bed. _Bad. Bad brain._ “She’s beautiful, she smart, she’s driven. She makes me want to be a better person.” He chanced a glance at Charlie. “When I’m with her, I feel like I’m home.”

“You got a ring kid?” Charlie drawled, lips twitching in the corners. When Derek nodded, he raised his eyebrows. “Well let’s see it, come on now!” Derek jumped to his feet and ran out to his truck, almost falling up the stairs as he rushed back in. Panting, he dropped the little blue box down onto the desk, fidgeting nervously as Charlie opened it. “How long ago did you buy this?”

Derek thought about lying. He thought about saying last week, or a month ago, or yesterday. He thought about making up a story about how it belonged to his grandmother. But he couldn’t do it.

“Getting close to eight years now.” He replied quietly, carefully watching the expression on his boss’s face. Charlie frowned slightly, before realization hit him. “Last summer I was thinking about selling it. But Re- Lydia convinced me to keep it. She said that if I could give it to someone else, it would only be more meaningful. And I’ve pretty much wanted to give it to your daughter since that day.”

“Derek,” Charlie was actually smiling now. _Thank God._ “I know Lydia would give me a speech about how terribly old fashioned it is to ask the father for his daughter’s hand, how I don’t _own_ her and all that. So I won’t give you my permission. But I will tell you that I think you and my daughter are good for each other, and as long as you continue to treat her as she deserves to be treated, then I will be proud to have you as part of our family.” Derek sighed in relief, his own face splitting into a grin.

“I will. I promise.” He shook Charlie’s hand across the desk, surprised when the older man stood up, beckoning for him.

“Come on now, we’re gonna be family.” he pulled him into a hug, clapping Derek firmly on the back. “Now don’t be a chicken and wait too long to ask her!” he chuckled, one hand still gripping Derek’s shoulder. “Lord knows Natalie will be coaxing this secret out of me in no time.”

 

\-----

**(1 week later)**

Lydia turned onto Derek’s driveway, holding out a hand to keep the box of pizza and case of beer from sliding off the front seat. It was a tradition now, Friday nights were for pizza and beer. Sometimes Jordan and Laura would come over, sometimes Stiles and Danny, but usually they just hung out alone, falling asleep on the couch with bellies full of greasy goodness. This week was her turn to buy, so Derek had beat her home. Err… not home. Technically, Lydia still lived with her parents. She had moved back from her apartment in Boston after graduating in May. But she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d actually spent the night there. Ever since Derek had moved into his new house, she’d stayed with him. Obviously.

The house wasn’t completely finished yet, but the basics were done. The kitchen had turned out gorgeous (Derek apparently liked to cook), and the living room was giant and cozy. And of course the bedroom was Lydia’s absolute favorite place on earth. In all honesty, she couldn’t wait to crawl beneath the sheets and snuggle up with Derek each night. It didn’t matter if they had sex or not (they did have a very healthy sex life though… FYI), she just liked to be near him, to hear his slow breathing beside her.

She knew it was her house too. One night after a few too many beers, Derek had confessed his big plans to her: a house full of little red headed kids and dogs and cats and guinea pigs and chickens in the backyard. At first she’d been overwhelmed by the idea. She’d pulled away from him, considered taking a break from the relationship. But after a long talk with Cheryl and Stiles (the two of them were quite a team), she had come to her senses. There was no one else on this earth that she could picture spending her life with. She’d never thought about having kids, but now that she did, she only wanted to have Derek’s. And they’d have green eyes and some would have red hair and some would have dark brown and they’d be absolutely beautiful. And Lydia had babbled all of this to the very amused Cheryl and Stiles before she realized what she was saying. It was embarrassing to say the least. but now at least she knew she was all in. A life with Derek Hale was end game.

“Babe?” she pushed open the front door, juggling pizza and beer and her purse. “You better not be working on a project right now!” Setting the food down on the coffee table in the living room, she frowned into the silence. “Der? Come on let’s eat! And relax!.. And go to sleep…”

“Hey!” Derek hopped down the stairs, wearing a paint covered tank top and Carhartt shorts. Lydia sighed, letting her eyes rake over him. Even after all this time, he still got her motor running. “I think I found a color for the back bedroom. Can you go take look?”

“Ughhhhh,” Lydia groaned, slumping her shoulders and wrinkling her nose. “Right nowww? I just wanna pig out!”

“Pleaseeee Red? This is important!” Derek pouted, his eyes all big and doey.

“Fine. Fine.” With a huff Lydia pushed up the stairs past Derek, stomping down the hallway towards the back bedroom. She could hear him following her slowly, but she ignored him, more focused on getting back to her pizza. Pushing the door open she stepped towards the center of the room, flicking on the light. And then she froze. Her heart stopped in her chest. She had so not been expecting this.

Painted on the wall, in giant pale blue letters, were four words. _The_ four words. _Will you marry me?_ Eyes wide, Lydia spun on her heel, only to find Derek down on one knee in the doorway, a familiar blue velvet box open in one hand. He was grinning, but his eyes were nervous.

“So whaddaya say Red?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. She couldn’t move. Her brain was too busy processing, analyzing, thinking over their whole relationship. She could remember that day, when she’d found that very same ring in his glove compartment. How he’d mentioned wanting to sell it, and she had convinced him he should keep it.

_“No, listen to me. When you find the one, it’ll mean so much more if she understands the story of that ring. And if you can give it to her, it’ll mean you really love her.”_

He was giving her Paige’s ring. He really loved her. He thought she was the one. Forever. “Lydia?” Derek asked, his smile shrinking by the second.

“Yes.” Lydia nodded, stumbling towards him as tears started to roll down her cheeks. “Yes!”

“Oh thank god,” Derek laughed, slipping the ring onto her finger and pulling her down into a kiss. “Don’t cry baby!” He continued, wiping away a couple of tears.

“I love you,” she whispered, kissing his cheeks and nose and lips. Then suddenly her eyes flew open. “We’re getting married!!!” She screamed, jumping to her feet and staring at the diamond sparkling on her left hand. “Oh my God!”

“That’s my girl.” Derek stood, his beautiful smile back in place.

“I have to call my mom! And my dad!” she paused, hoping erratically around the room. “Did you ask my Dad? You must’ve! Oh my gosh! Where do I start? What do I do?! How am I-” Derek’s lips on hers broke her from her tizzy, warm and solid and reassuring.

“Or we could make out,” he tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth. “Eat pizza,” he gently bit the tip of her nose. “And not tell anybody anything until tomorrow.” Lydia relaxed in his arms, letting her fingers glide up over his biceps and shoulders to the back of his neck.

“This is why I love you,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his, the now familiar heat shooting through her veins as he tugged her flush against him.

“And this,” one of Derek’s large hands squeezed her ass. “Is why I love you.” He chuckled when she huffed in annoyance. “Among other things.”

“If you don’t keep kissing me,” Lydia growled, scratching her fingernails across the back of his neck. “I’m leaving you for pizza.”

“Oh really?” With an evil smirk, he bent and lifted her over his shoulder. “We’ll see about that!” Lydia screamed and protested and kicked her feet, giggling until he tossed her down onto their bed. And she knew then, that this was her forever.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left! Thank you all for reading this story!
> 
> XOXO - B


	29. All This Time and We're Still In Love

“My wife is a MILF.” Derek chuckled, leaning back in his chair, staring at Lydia across the office they shared. (Even after seven years of sharing an office, Lydia still regretted the decision).

“Leave me alone.” she hissed, typing away at her computer. Somebody had to get some work done around here. “Come on Red!” A shiver ran down her spine at the sound of the nickname. Over time, Derek had stopped using it, her only name now was Mom. Except in bed. He _always_ called her Red when they were getting it on. She pretended not to hear his footsteps behind her, pretended that her thighs weren’t pressing together in anticipation. “Baby.” His breath was hot on her ear, and she couldn’t help but lean into him. “Let’s make another baby.”

“Another one?” Lydia groaned, eyelids fluttering as he licked a line up her throat. “Don’t you think three is enough? Ah!” His teeth sunk into her shoulder, her body arching instinctually. Lord that man knew how to turn her on.

“No… Cheryl’s got the three runts.” He stepped away from her, followed by the sound of their office door closing and locking. “We’re alone for the first time in months.” This was a bad idea. A terrible idea really. But when Derek pulled her out of her chair and into his arms, Lydia couldn’t remember exactly _why_ it was a bad idea. And when his hand started to inch up her inner thigh, she decided that she didn’t care anymore. “Wanna play boss and secretary?” He whispered into her ear, fingers tracing lightly over the waistband of her panties.

“Only if I get to be the boss,” she hissed through her teeth as he slipped his hand into her underwear, thumb brushing her clit. She pulled his face to hers, trying to mute her moans with his lips.

“Why don’t you boss me around then,” Derek lifted her with one arm, placing her firmly on his desk. He pulled her underwear down with one hand, the other curling in her hair, pulling her head back so he could suck on her neck. Lydia moaned quietly, sliding her hands up his chest, then raking her nails down.

“I want you to-”

“Where’s mommy!?!?” A very familiar whiney voice could suddenly be heard on the other side of the door, causing both Derek and Lydia to freeze.

“Jesus Christ.” Derek swore, moving his hand away from her slick heat. “I can never catch a fucking break.”

“Stop swearing!” Lydia hissed, hopping off the desk and readjusting her clothes. “We’re in here sweetie!” She called to their daughter, pecking Derek swiftly on the lips. The door knob started wiggling, and she sighed, reaching for the lock.

“Mommy!” Willow squealed, running towards Lydia at full speed. She caught her daughter in her arms, swinging her up onto her hip. “Guess what we did with Miss Cheryl?”

“What?” Lydia asked, kissing her on the nose. “We made cookies!!!” Willow’s eyes were wide with excitement. “And I even brought some for Daddy!”

“What about me?” Lydia asked, her eyes drawn to the open door, where Cheryl had appeared, Torrey, the youngest, sleeping in one arm, the other hand on the back of Ollie’s (the oldest) neck.

“Ollie and Tor-wee made you some!” Willow smiled, leaning away from the Lydia towards Derek. “I mished you daddy.”

“I missed you too munchkin,” Derek happily scooped their daughter out of Lydia’s arms, leaving her to raise an eyebrow at Oliver.

“Why do you look like you’ve been in trouble mister?” Even though he was only five, Oliver Hale was already a trouble maker. A sneaky trouble maker at that. He generally found ways for all the blame to fall on his four year old sister instead.

“He was fine,” Cheryl looked exhausted, but she ruffled Ollie’s dark hair. “We just had to have some discussions about sharing with his sister. She gently handed Lydia the baby boy sleeping in her arms. “Torrey’s been asleep for the last half hour… I didn’t know if you’d want me to wake him up or not.”

“Thanks Cheryl.”she smiled kindly at her friend, who had retired from the store, and taken on the almost full time responsibility of nannying the Hale brood. “You’re a life saver.”

“You better put me in a good nursing home… that’s all I’m saying!” Cheryl laughed, kissing Ollie’s hair before sweeping back out of the office.

“Alright,” Derek leaned against his desk, Willow cradled against his chest, and Ollie wrapped around one leg. “Who’s hungry for pizza?”

“Me!!!!” Both Willow and Ollie yelled, squirming away from Derek and running around the office like maniacs. Torrey rubbed at his eyes, his face scrunching. He wailed loudly, his fists balling and legs kicking.

“Did you really have to do that?” Lydia sighed, not able to suppress her smile when she looked at her husband.

“We definitely need more kids,” Derek chuckled, taking Torrey from her and kissing her slowly. “And a puppy!”

“Puppies!!!!” Of course Willow had heard that, running over and jumping up and down in front of Lydia.

“Are you crazy?” Lydia mouthed at Derek, pretending as if she couldn’t hear Willow’s pleas. Derek just grinned, bending to kiss her again (earning a chorus of groans from the kids).

“Just crazy ‘bout you baby!”

 

\---------

“Willow! Let’s go!” Lydia yelled from the bottom of the stairs, zipping her coat up. “We are going to be late!”

“Mom! Stop!” Willow, now 13, appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing a sparkly dress and converses. “I’m right here.”

“Keep it movin’ kid. Your father and brothers are waiting in the car.” She tossed a coat at her daughter, hurrying her out of the house and towards their big SUV. "This dress looks good on you sweetheart."

"Thanks mom," Willow smiled at her, the first positive reaction Lydia had gotten from her in days. "You look really pretty too."

"Thanks baby," she pressed a kiss into her daughter's strawberry blonde hair. And then she opened the passenger door, their moment effectively ruined by the whining boys inside.

"You guys are so slow!" Torrey whined, poking at his younger brother, Jack, buckled in the farthest back seat beside them.

"Shut up twerp," Willow hissed, climbing over Ollie who couldn't be bothered to look up from his phone.

"Will..." Derek warned from behind the wheel, glaring in the rear view mirror. Lydia sighed and buckled her seatbelt. Just another day in paradise. Derek put the car in gear, winking at Lydia as they pulled out onto the road. Even with gray scattered through his hair and beard, and laugh lines around his eyes, he was still a certified hottie. Her certified hottie. "Oh man, this is my jam." Derek reached for the volume cranking up the radio.

"Dadddd! Don't!" Willow whined loudly, eyes rolling. But Derek ignored her, singing loudly.

"You know, I'm not the little boy that I used to be. I'm all grown up now, baby can't you see! Willow's mom has got it goin' on, she's all I want and I've waited for so long.Willow, can't you see you're just not the girl for me, I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Willow's mom."

"Really dad?" Ollie rolled his eyes, sending a disgusted look towards the front seat. Lydia smiled at Derek reached for his hand, their fingers intertwining easily.

"Aren't you guys too old to hold hands?" Torrey asked from the back, leaning in between his two older siblings.

"You're like ten monkey butt, what do you know about holding hands?" Willow smirked at her brother, earning giggles from Jack.

"Monkey butt!” he sputtered, feet kicking as he laughed.

“I’m ten and a half meany!” Torrey cried, punching his sister in the arm.

“Just shut up!” Ollie hissed, glaring over his shoulder.

“Oliver!” Lydia reprimanded, “That is not nice language!”

“Oh mom, come on…” he rolled his eyes, focusing his attention back on his phone. “I don’t even want to go to this party anyways.”

“Papa would be very upset if he heard you,” Lydia replied, shaking her head slightly.

“Why is this at Papa and Mimi’s anyways?” Willow asked, cocking her head. “Don’t you and Dad own the company?”

“It’s still Papa’s,” Derek explained, reaching behind his seat and squeezing Ollie’s knee. “And the Christmas party is his favorite thing in the world. So stop being little brats. Your cousins are gonna be there anyways.” Jack and Torrey cheered at this, being that Jordan and Laura’s kids were closer to their age.

“Willow’s just excited that Mark’s gonna be there…” Oliver was smirking, eyes flitting between his sister and the rearview mirror, waiting for their dad’s reaction. Lydia sighed and shook her head. Poor Willow. It didn't take a genius to figure out that her daughter had a crush on Cheryl’s grandson, who happened to be almost sixteen. But she was pretty sure that Derek hadn’t noticed.

“Mark! Who’s this kid? How old is he? What’s he do? Is this true?” Derek was panicking slightly, obviously it hadn’t occurred to him that his daughter was growing up. Fast.

“Sweetie,” Lydia patted his hand gently. “Mark is Cheryl’s grandson, he’s going to be working at the yard this summer.” She glanced over her shoulder, taking in Willow’s beet red face. “And I’m sure Ollie is just teasing Willow.” Her daughter, visibly deflated in  relief. “It’s nothing to get worked up about.”

“Well I don’t know-” She silenced Ollie with a glare, thanking God that they had finally arrived at her parents before this car ride could spiral even farther out of control.

“You all need to help carry something in,” she ordered, making eye contact with all four kids as Derek parked. “So don’t go running off until I’ve handed you something.” She was met with sighs and groans, but they all obeyed, waiting for her at the back of the car as she handed them trays of fruit and chips and dip and cookies. She watched them trudge up her parents front walk together, all grumbling amongst themselves about how annoying she was. But Lydia knew they didn’t mean it.

Derek’s arm snaked around her waist, and together they watched as her mom through open the front door, fussing over the kids.

“Can you believe that it’s been twenty years since we got our heads out of our asses and got together?” Derek murmured, pulling her fully into his arms.

“You’ve just got a way with words sweetie,” she sighed, tilting her chin up, waiting for a kiss. Derek smirked before pressing his lips to hers, still sending warmth through her body with his touch. “I love you.” She whispered when they broke the kiss, resting her head against his chest.

“I love you too.” Derek murmured, pressing a soft kiss into her hair.

“Stop making out and come in here ya weirdos!” Torrey yelled from the house, both brothers flanking him.

“Kid…” Derek released Lydia from his arms, eyes narrowed at his sons. “You’re in trouble now!” He took off running towards the house, all three boys yelling as they spun on their heels, slipping and sliding as they tried to escape their father. Smiling to herself, Lydia closed the trunk of her SUV, following the sounds of her kids and husbands laughter into the house. It didn’t seem like it had been twenty years since she and Derek had finally figured it out. But she knew one thing. She was ready for twenty more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now folks! Thanks for reading!! If you ever have ideas for Dydia prompts/AUs, please, please, please let me know! (you can find me on my mess of a tumblr - werewolvesandarrows). Thank you again!
> 
> XOXO - Beth


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